Homily for the 33rd Sunday of
Ordinary Time, Yr. A
Once again we are presented with a
parable on time, which revolves around the past,
of when we have received God’s gifts; the present,
in which one has to utilize the gifts, and the future, in which one will be called to give account of all. And the
present time is decisive for our eternal existence. And these themes of time
and reckoning connect the three readings, for the first reading alludes to a time
when a laborer will be given a share of his handiwork (v.31). The second reading dwells on the question of the time of
the Parousia, and lastly, the gospel
dwells extensively on time and reckoning.
The first reading is a charming
picture of a gracious wife and mother, who practices love for God and man. It
is a presentation of a wonderful picture of a virtuous woman. However, upon
proper reflection, one discovers that it is quite hard to see the connection of
this reading with the other readings. Perhaps, the words of verse 31 will be of a great help: “give
her a share in what her hands have worked for, and let her works tell her
praises at the city gates”, and a similar sentence recurs in the parable of the
talents, for as we are told the enterprising servants were given a share in
their earnings. Perhaps, if we concentrate on this singular point, we risk
losing the main thrust of the readings
In today’s Gospel, like that of the previous
Sunday, Jesus narrates from life experience. The Parable of the talents, what
are these talents? From the human or anthropological dimension, talent is a
personal gift, quality and capacity each one of us has received from God, while
from the spiritual dimension, it is the Word of God received and welcomed
according to one’s capacity; it is the gift of faith and those of the Holy
Spirit. Importantly, we need to take to heart, that the different quality of
the talents is not to be understood in terms of mere quality, rather in the
sense of diversity. The story evolves, that the owner of an estate went on a
long journey and entrusted his talents to three of his servants. On their
master’s departure, two of them made good use of the talents, and made some capital
gains. Then, on their master’s return they were commended and rewarded.
Contrarily, the third servant simply buried the master’s talent and returned it
back to him, exactly as it was given to him, but the master rebuked him and
handed over the money given prior to him, to the most enterprising servant.
It is plausible to note that in the
context of this parable, Jesus was condemning the Jewish religious authorities
of his time, who were like the third servant, so bent on preserving the
tradition at the expense of openness to new things and Jesus’ message. Upon a
proper interpretation of the passage, we discover that the master of this parable
is equated with Christ, his long journey (departure) with the Ascension, while
his delayed return alludes to the
Parousia.
The Parable of the talents proposed
today, underlines the necessity of fructifying the gifts God has given to us,
both gifts of nature and those of grace. It is fascinating the similitude of
the gift of God to a capital, and as such, the receiver has to give good
interest. And at the end, we shall be called to give good account of both the
capital (gift) and the interests (the good works and fruits). Thus, conscious
of the need for a reckoning, we are invited not to waste the gifts God has lavished
upon us; we are also called to guard against the danger of “conserving” our
gifts, thereby not making use of them at all, that is the tendency of one who is afraid of trying, who dares not to dare. The Gospel thus, reminds us that if we
close ourselves in an egoistic possession of the gifts received, we stand the
risk of losing them. The word of God
therein, condemns the presumption of auto sufficiency, of he who thinks that he
merited all and the passivity of he who buries the talents he has received.
For remember: “what have you got that was not given to you?” (1Cor. 4:7).
The temptation or the act of hiding
our gifts exposes us to everlasting danger, because our Master is exigent. The
scripture also reminds us of this (cf.
Ex. 20:5; Deut. 4:24). The jealous and just God of the Old Testament,
presents himself in the New Testament, in the person of Christ, with the name
and the face of a Father, but not as a
permissive Father, or as a Father Christmas that is always distributing gifts.
Though He is generous and magnanimous, he requires our correspondence to his
will. The message of this Sunday no
doubt, revolves invariably not on mercy, but on the other parallel attribute of
God, on justice.
In that bid, the Bible reminds us
that there is a day of reckoning, and no person is exempted. St. Paul captured
it vividly well when he says: “For at the judgment seat of Christ we are all to
be seen for what we are, so that each of us may receive what he has deserved in
the body, matched to whatever he has done, good or bad” (2Cor. 5:10). And the judgment will be on how we have used the gift
of God? How we lived our life in accordance with God’s word?
Existentially, in the gospel we are
presented with three servants, let us try to evaluate ourselves, and make some
evaluative interrogations on which servant we resemble, the first two servants
who fructified their gifts or the third one that buried his gift? The third
servant is a representative of every Christian that does not recognize and
fructify the gift of God. The experience
of the third servant is the experience of a Christian that abandons the God of
the gifts in the quest of “conserving” the gifts. In that bid, the word of
God today, invites us to do a thorough examination of conscience, we should
individually ask ourselves: if the Lord calls me today to give account of my
life, will I be ready and prepared? Am I not like the servant that wasted the
gift given to him?
The second reading is a presentation
of St. Paul’s attempt to reply those who were asking questions about the
precise date of the Parousia. Here,
Paul cited the parable of the thief in the night (Mk.13:35ss; Lk.12:39ss) to buttress his point. If we live like
people “who belong to the light, who belong to the day” (1Th. 5:5), then and only then, can we show proof of those who live
in vigilance for the coming of the Master. People
of light think beyond themselves, they think for the welfare of others, as
the two servants of the gospel who thought of making gain for their master. On the other hand, people of darkness
cannot see beyond themselves, beyond there selfish interests. Be that as it
may, as emanating from Paul’s admonitions, a
Christian ought to live always on tiptoe, with the consciousness that the Parousia can take place any moment.
Therefore, it invariably implies that it is not a matter of idle curiosity, but
one of readiness and vivid awakening. Imminently, we are called to pass from
vain curiosity of “times and seasons” to the existential attitude of vigilance
and laboriousness, for in the words of the Apostle we are told: “work out your
salvation in fear and trembling” (Phi.
2:12b).
Above all else, dear brothers and
sisters, let us not forget the invitation to vigilance that reoccurs in today’s
reading. The Parable and the second reading remind us once again about the
necessity of being vigilant and always ready for the coming of the Lord.
However, in a more particular way, we are called to reawaken our sense of
responsibility and spiritual inventiveness. We are all like administrators
of God’s gifts, the gifts, qualities and capacities received are to be used for
good works. In all, the promise that should keep us always going is the reward for whoever that fructifies his or her gifts, and that is participation “to the
joy of the Master”. Let us make resolutions of trusting in the Lord always, of
having a positive and optimistic view about life. We need to acquire the
psycho-spiritual attitude of empathy, thinking beyond oneself.
Oratio: Lord help us
to make good use of the gifts you have lavished upon us!!! Amen!!!
(First
reading: Pro. 31,10-13.19-20.30-31 Second reading: 1 Thes. 5, 1-6, Gospel: Mt.
25, 14-30)
Fada Vitus M. C. Unegbu
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