Freely Given

Aug 31: Saturday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time

Jesus teaches us with parables; Paul is a little more straightforward with his instructions. But either way, the message is the same—everything we have is a gift from God.

Reading 1

1 Cor 1:26-31

Consider your own calling, brothers and sisters. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, so that no human being might boast before God. It is due to him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, so that, as it is written, Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord.

It takes great strength to admit that you're weak; great wisdom to acknowledge that you're foolish. By submitting ourselves to God, we show the world that everything good comes from God.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 33:12-13, 18-19, 20-21

R. (12) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
From heaven the LORD looks down;
he sees all mankind.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
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. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield,
For in him our hearts rejoice;
in his holy name we trust.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

This is a simple song of praise, once again acknowledging that Israel isn't a great nation through their own strength and will. Any credit they deserve comes from following God. Everything, even our own talents, are ultimately a gift.

Alleluia

Jn 13:34

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I give you a new commandment:
love one another as I have loved you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

This is Jesus giving His final discourse before the crucifixion to His Apostles. Being the last thing He said, it’s probably the most important.

Gospel

Mt 25:14-30

Jesus told his disciples this parable: "A man going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one—to each according to his ability.

Then he went away. Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five. Likewise, the one who received two made another two. But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master's money.

After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. He said, 'Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.' His master said to him, '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.'

Then the one who had received two talents also came forward and said, 'Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more.' His master said to him, '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.'

Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, 'Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.'

His master said to him in reply, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter? Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return? Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten. For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.'"

One talent is 6,000 denarii; a denarii is one day’s wage. Bearing in mind that ancient Jews worked six days a week, one talent is about twenty years’ worth of wages. Even at the low end, this master is trusting his servants with a lot.

So this story isn’t about a master who doesn’t trust his servant very much; it’s the servant who had low expectations of his master. He thought his master was unreasonable, with an uncontrollable rage. He could’ve asked his fellow servants what to do; after all, Jesus taught us to love one another. But he didn’t ask for help; he took the most cowardly, fearful option.

The servant was afraid he’d be punished. But God isn’t like that; He’s forgiving and understanding. God has trusted us with a lot, even if it may not seem as much compared to others. It comes with a lot of pressure. Sometimes, Jesus’ commandments can seem impossible to follow.

And they are, if we try to do them alone. Instead, we should be asking help, from each other and the Holy Spirit. We should invest our talents, but like any good investor, we shouldn’t invest blindly. Look for tips!