Good and Faithful Servant
Nov. 19: Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Here’s an appropriate meme to start your Sunday:
And a comic (with an unnecessary intro line):
Once again, Tomics nails it:
Reading 1
Prv 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31
When one finds a worthy wife, her value is far beyond pearls. Her husband, entrusting his heart to her, has an unfailing prize. She brings him good, and not evil, all the days of her life. She obtains wool and flax and works with loving hands. She puts her hands to the distaff, and her fingers ply the spindle. She reaches out her hands to the poor, and extends her arms to the needy. Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting; the woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her a reward for her labors, and let her works praise her at the city gates.
This is good advice for any guy of dating age.
But why is this read for the whole church, and on a Sunday? Because the Church is the bride of Christ! This is a description of how we’re all supposed to behave.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Blessed are you who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favored.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
in the recesses of your home;
Your children like olive plants
around your table.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
“Fear the Lord” is one of those phrases that sounds weird to modern ears. It doesn’t mean you should be afraid of God the way you’re afraid of, say, a bear or a tornado. It’s what we call “filial” fear, because it like the fear of a child who is afraid to hurt the feelings of their father because of their mutual love. It’s different from “servile” fear, which is based on punishment, like the fear of a slave for his master.
We should regard God as part of the family. He loves us, like we love our spouse, our kids, our parents.
Reading 2
1 Thes 5:1-6
Concerning times and seasons, brothers and sisters, you have no need for anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief at night. When people are saying, "Peace and security, " then sudden disaster comes upon them, like labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness, for that day to overtake you like a thief. For all of you are children of the light and children of the day. We are not of the night or of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep as the rest do, but let us stay alert and sober.
Like we learned on Friday, the Second Coming will be a surprise when it happens. But most of us will meet Jesus even sooner than that.
We’re supposed to keep a light on not only for His arrival, but the light isn’t just for us. Our light shines for everyone, so they’re not caught sleeping, either.
Alleluia
Jn 15:4a, 5b
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Remain in me as I remain in you, says the Lord.
Whoever remains in me bears much fruit.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Similar to the light metaphor, keeping close to Christ doesn’t mean keeping him to ourselves. We’ll bear much fruit, for others to see and be drawn to.
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.'"
Burying talents in the ground wasn’t as crazy as you might think. In the unsettled conditions of Palestine in Jesus’ time, it was not unusual to guard valuables by burying them in the ground.1
It’s not just that the servant is lazy; he has no faith. He’s more worried about the chance of loss than the possibility of gain. The faithful servants have confidence not only in themselves, but in God, that they won’t fall victim to chance or disaster.
That’s what it means to be faithful—to go out boldly and do invest God’s gifts, shine a light for the world to see, and let the consequences be what they may.