Daily Reflection | Gospel Reading | RVA

Gospel: Matthew 25:14-30
Imagine someone who, beforegoingabroad, summoned his servants to entrust his property to them. He gave five talents of silver to one servant, two talents to another servant, and one talent to a third, to each, according to his ability; and he went away. He who received five talents went at once to do business with the talents, and gained another five. The one who received two talents did the same, and gained another two. But the one who received one talent dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.
After a long time, the master of those servants returned and asked for a reckoning. The one who had received five talents came with another five talents, saying, ‘Lord, you entrusted me with five talents, but see, I have gained five more.’ The master answered, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant, since you have been faithful in a few things, I will entrust you in charge of many things. Come and share the joy of your master.’ Then the one who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you entrusted me with two talents; with them I have gained two more.’ The master said, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant, since you have been faithful in little things, I will entrust you in charge of many things. Come and share the joy of your master.’
Finally, the one who had received one talent came and said, ‘Master, I know that you are a hard man. You reap what you have not sown, and gather what you have not scattered. I was afraid, so I hid your money in the ground. Here, take what is yours!’ But his master replied, ‘Wicked and worthless servant, you know that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered. You should have deposited my money in the bank, and given it back to me with interest on my return.
Therefore, take the talent from him, and give it to the one who has ten. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who are unproductive, even what they have will be taken from them. As for that useless servant, throw him out into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Reflections
“He gave five talents, two talents, and one talent.”
Jesus’ ministry of healing, teaching, and reconciling has ushered the reign of God on Earth, and it continues until the end of time. As the living “body” of Christ, we share in his saving mission; we make use of our time and giftedness, living crea­tively and responsibly, to help build God’s kingdom of love.
Acknowledging that we make up the visible “body” of Christ, what is our role/task in the kingdom that he enacted? What contribution(s) can we make to the continuing mission of Jesus? Once we are able to identify our role/task, we will discover that there are corresponding gifts given to us so that we may be able to accomplish it. We need to keep ourselves busy utilizing these gifts for others, for the community, for the Church, and for the reign of God as a whole. We keep working for social jus­tice, and for the protection and care of God’s creation. There is no room for laziness or idleness as we live out our call. Our task is meant to accomplish something for the well-­being of every living creatures and for the flourishing of life on Earth.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2019

Gospel: Matthew 25:1-13
This story throws light on what will happen in the kingdom of heaven: Ten bridesmaids went out with their lamps to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were sensible.
The careless bridesmaids took their lamps as they were, and did not take extra oil. But those who were sensible, took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom delayed, they all grew drowsy and fell asleep.
But at midnight, a cry rang out, ‘The bridegroom is here, come out and meet him!’ All the maidens woke up at once, and trimmed their lamps. Then the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, ‘Give us some oil, for our lamps are going out.’ The sensible ones answered, ‘There may not be enough for us and for you. You had better go to those who sell, and buy some for yourselves.’
When the bridegroom came, the foolish maidens were out buying oil, but those who were ready went with him into the wedding feast, and the doors were shut.
Later the other bridesmaids arrived and called out, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered, ‘Truly I do not know you.’
So stay awake, for you do not know the day nor the hour.

Reflections
“So stay awake.”
In between Jesus’ inaugura­tion of the reign of God and his next coming to finally renew all creation, we stay awake, always ready and prepared. The fact that we do this means we be­lieve in Christ’s promise of a new heaven and a new Earth. While we await this glorious event, we accompany our faith with works of justice and mercy. All the works of justice, mercy and love of people who have gone before us, and the people who will come after us, count; and they all matter as contributions in the saving mission of Jesus. Being awake, or being prepared, means we bring in our share of good works in this mission of Je­ sus, in his mission of saving hu­manity and all of God’s beautiful creation.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2019

Gospel: Mark 6:17-29
For this is what had happened: Herod had ordered John to be arrested; and had had him bound and put in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. Herod had married her; and John had told him, “It is not right for you to live with your brother’s wife.” So Herodias held a grudge against John and wanted to kill him; but she could not, because Herod respected John. He knew John to be an upright and holy man, and kept him safe. And he liked listening to him; although he became very disturbed whenever he heard him.
Herodias had her chance on Herod’s birthday, when he gave a dinner for all the senior government officials, military chiefs, and the leaders of Galilee. On that occasion, the daughter of Herodias came in and danced; and she delighted Herod and his guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want and I will give it to you.” And he went so far as to say with many oaths, “I will give you anything you ask, even half my kingdom.” She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” The mother replied, “The head of John the Baptist.” The girl hurried to the king and made her request, “I want you to give me the head of John the Baptist, here and now, on a dish.”
The king was very displeased, but he would not refuse in front of his guests because of his oaths. So he sent one of the bodyguards, with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded John in prison; then he brought the head on a dish and gave it to the girl. And the girl gave it to her mother. When John’s disciples heard of this, they came and took his body and buried it.

Reflections
“Disturbed whenever he heard him.”
For some truth is disturbing. They dread it because it con­fronts them head­ on. Truth re­veals their true color and motive. While for others, truth is a friend, guiding and giving them direc­tion. When one aligns herself/ himself to the truth, it brings peace of mind; it calms the spirit. When Pontius Pilate asked Jesus “What is truth?”, Jesus did not reply because the truth is already before him in his person. Before Pilate already stands the truth, and it confronts him. As a result, Pilate felt uneasy; he was disturbed.
When truth presents itself before us, there are only two natural response, namely: (1) we welcome it; or (2) we reject it. If we welcome it, we are led to the good and genuinely valuable; but, if we reject it, we lead our­selves (and others) to corruption and harm.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2019

Gospel: Matthew 23:27-32
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, beautiful in appearance; but, inside, there are only dead bones and uncleanness. In the same way, you appear religious to others, but you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness within. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets, and decorate the monuments of the righteous. You say: Had we lived in the time of our ancestors, we would not have joined them in shedding the blood of the prophets. So, you, yourselves, confess to be the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. And now, finish off what your ancestors began!

Reflections
“Beautiful in appearance, but inside . . .”
We are witness to the deplo­rable and sometimes appalling effects of hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is a result of a fragmented, corrupt and vicious character. The hypocrite is full of pretension and deceit; she/ he is not genuinely concern of others. The hypocrite seeks self­-glorification and self-­benefit, al­ ways ready to step on others’ toes. She/he is unrepentant over the harm inflicted to others, and does not even budge at the hurt or suf­fering of others. The inside of the hypocrite rots and stinks, but the outside is well “covered” so that it looks spotless and attractive.
Quite contrary, sincerity stands at the opposite pole of hypocrisy. Sincerity springs forth from an in­tegral and peaceful character, one that is touched by the love of God, one that has been converted to the love of God and neighbor. The sincere person is mindful of her/ his personal well­-being; she/he is equally mindful of the well-­being of others. The heart of the sincere person is ruled by love, compassion and mercy. She/he has the heart of Christ. The sincere person does not wish misfortune or harm to others. She/he glories in the triumphs and success of others; she/he is not envious. The sincere person is an agent of peace and care; she/he is kindhearted and gentle.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2019