01 September. Saturday, Week 21

1st Reading: 1 Corinthians (1:26-31)

God chose the humble, modest people, whos virtues would be centred on Jesus

Consider your call, brethren; not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong, God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in God’s presence. God is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom He made our wisdom, our righteousness and sanctification and redemption; therefore, as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast of the Lord.”

Resp. Psalm (Ps 33)

R.: Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own

They are happy, whose God is the Lord,
the people he has chosen as his own.
From the heavens the Lord looks forth,
he sees all the children of men. (R./)
But see, the eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine. (R./)
Our soul is waiting for the Lord.
The Lord is our help and our shield.
In Him do our hearts find joy.
We trust in His holy name. (R./)

Gospel: Matthew (25:14-30)

In praise of people who use their talents; hiding or burying talents is blamed

Jesus told this parable,
“Think of a man, going on a journey, who summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’
“Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! So you knew that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”

Use them or lose them

The gist of today’s parable is the painful paradox that in our competitive world the Haves can grow their wealth, while the Have-nots can be robbed of even what little they have. It surely does not express what Jesus regards as right and just, i.e. a community of love and sharing. But the paradox still has some practical applications. Like a machine with moving parts, God’s gifts must be in active use in order to stay in good condition. Non-use leads to rusted parts and clogged-up valves. Physical and spiritual life degenerates if left dormant.
The inspired Scriptures are just part of the process of discerning the will and purpose of God. As we examine our precious heritage of Sacred Scripture, the Bible can iluminate our personal, family, society and church aims and expectations. We pray for the enlightenment of God’s Spirit while also reflecting on our experience. Those who have engaged in this dialogue will get more, while those who just sit tight are in danger of losing the little they have.
Paul offers a vital guideline for keeping up the quality of our life: Jesus is our sanctification, for he enables our best self to emerge; and he is our redemption, so that we form one living person with him as our elder brother, whose spirit and example we try to follow in everything.

Don’t let fear hold us back

When Jesus includes three characters in a parable, the emphasis is usually on the third character. The best example of this is the good Samaritan, mentioned after the priest and Levite who pass the wounded man on the roadside, but whose response is the focus of that story. In the parable of the Talents, the third servant saw his master in a a very negative light, as “a hard man, reaping where he had not sown.” Because this servant was scared of his master, he just buried what he had been given. By contrast, the other two servants had a much more generous view of their master. This made them free to take initiatives and well-judged risks with what they had been given.
Jesus reveals a God of infinite generosity, One whose goodness leaves us astonished, who remains faithful even when we are not faithful. This is not a God who wants us to fail, but rather to launch out into the deep. God will continue to befriend us whether or not we catch anything. Perfect love drives out fear, according to the first letter of Saint John. The assurance of God’s love should drive out the kind of fear that left the third servant in the parable crippled. If we are generous with what we have received, we can entrust the result entirely to God.