THIRTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (2023)

THIRTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (2023)

Readings:

Proverbs 3:10-13, 19-20, 30-31

Psalms 128:1-5

1 Thessalonians 5:1-6

Matthew 25:14-30

Today’s gospel is the last parable we will hear from Matthew in a considerable amount of time.  On Sunday next we close out the present liturgical year with the celebration of the Solemnity of Christ the King, ushering in a new gospel for Ordinary time, and ushering in the great season of Advent, the prelude to our celebrations of Jesus’ birth into our world.  At the close of his gospel, Matthew has Jesus teaching His Disciples about the end times, and today’s parable of the “talents,” which follows last week’s parable of the wise and foolish virgins, precedes Matthew’s Passion Narrative which will begin in the next chapter.  Both parables will focus the attention of His listeners on being ready for the end times.

Our second reading from Thessalonians shows this earliest Church community continuing to be worried about the end times, which they felt was right around the corner.  Paul seeks to assure them that concerning “times and seasons” they have “no need for anything to be written,” for they know that the Lord will come [again] “like a thief at night.”  They have nothing to fear as long as they stay awake and vigilant, living in the light of Jesus’ gospel.

The parable is a typical parable, rather straightforward but still raising issues that might cause us to scratch our heads.  For a man who is so wealthy [he deals in talents, which are worth the equivalent of 22 years of work] we might ask why did he treat his servants so differently, giving the three servants 5, 2, and 1 talent respectively, although the gospel says his distribution was “according to their ability” [or perhaps the functions they performed].  The master is not solely concerned for financial increase, for the two servants, who made 10 and four talents respectively, are treated identically: “Well done, my good and faithful servant.  Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities.  Come share your Master’s joy.”

Things don’t go as well for the servant who received one talent [still a considerable amount of money in Jesus’ day].  His perception of the master is that of a “demanding” individual, who “harvests what he did not plant.”  Fear took over the third servant, and instead of putting his “talent in the bank,” he unsafely buries it, where, of course, it earns nothing.  We cannot over analyze the genre of parable, but could a lesson have been learned had the “talent” been given back to the third servant?  We will never know.  What we do know is that Jesus looked on the talents as something that can make a person rich in heavenly goods.  As we have indicated, the Master was not so much interested in increasing his financial portfolio, as much as he was interested in the initiative of his three servants.

Following Jesus, it is our good works which proclaim to others that we are Christians, and those good works are meant to be multiplied, further increasing God’s kingdom here on earth.  The third servant was called “lazy,” he manifested no initiative.  Not only was he lazy but he seemed to be unconcerned about multiplying his “good works.”We are never meant to be complacent about growing the treasury of good things given to us by a loving God.  Like the Master in the parable, our God is a generous God bestowing on us gifts and talents according to our ability, talents that build up the kingdom of God.  Our environment, our families, our friendships are meant to be used to build up the kingdom of God, a kingdom where harmony replaces conflict, where love replaces hatred and racism, where compassion replaces indifference, and where the goods of our environment are protected so that future generations may come to enjoy them.  May we use and multiply the good things given us by a loving God so one day we will hear Him say to us: “Well done, good and faithful servant….  Come, share your master’s joy!”