Reading 1 1 Cor 1:26-31
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.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 33:12-13, 18-19, 20-21
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.
Gospel Jn 13:34
I give you a new commandment:
love one another as I have loved you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
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.’”
"OUT OF FEAR" (Mt 25:25)
" 'My lord,' he said, 'you let me have five thousand.' " –Matthew 25:20
The servant who received the five thousand silver pieces feared his master the right way. This healthy fear is evident because upon receiving what his master entrusted to him, he "immediately" went to work on his master's behalf (Mt 25:16). This servant had a spirit of the "fear of the Lord" and this fear caused him to "delight" (Is 11:2, 3) to receive the master's gifts and respond with "industrious and reliable" service (Mt 25:21).
The servant who received the one thousand silver pieces feared his master the wrong way. This fear is evident because upon receiving what his master entrusted to him, he was afraid to make a mistake "out of fear" of being punished (Mt 25:25). This servant had a fear that was self-centered, not master-centered.
If God calls us to a task, He provides the grace to perform the task. Because of challenging Scriptures like these, we may be tempted to "fear" to succeed in God's work since He has made it clear that success leads to even greater responsibilities (Mt 25:21). This "fear is useless. What is needed is trust" (Mk 5:36). Jesus makes it absolutely clear that greater responsibilities are first accompanied by greater grace (e.g. Mt 25:29). The Lord never sends anyone out without first empowering and equipping them for His service. Jesus trusts us with great gifts and great tasks. We can respond to the Lord by joyfully and fearfully exclaiming, "You entrusted me" (Mt 25:22), or by sullenly and fearfully saying, "You burdened me" (see Mal 1:13). Choose the right fear.
| PRAYER: | Father, may I make "even greater progress" in serving and pleasing You (1 Thes 4:10). |
| PROMISE: | "Come, share your Master's joy!" –Mt 25:21 |
| PRAISE: | St. Monica, entrusted with a great spiritual treasure in her son, St. Augustine, persisted in her mission to lead him to God. |
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