Homily for 33d Sunday of Ordinary Time

Homily for the
33d Sunday of Ordinary Time

Nov. 19, 2023
Matt 25: 14-30
Our Lady of the Assumption, Bronx
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx

“Well done, good and faithful servant.  Come, share your master’s joy” (Matt 25: 21, 23).

by Gerard Jollain

The master speaks thus to 2 of his servants after they’ve reported to him on their use of what he’d entrusted to them.  The unhappy servant who did nothing is thrown out of the house.  The master is eager to share the benefits he can offer to faithful servants.  Fearful servitude and laziness, on the other hand, anger him.

This parable of the talents is one of 3 parables that Jesus tells in Matt 25.  We heard the 1st one last Sunday and will hear the last one next week as we conclude the Matthew cycle of Sunday gospel readings.  All 3 are parables of judgment, which is appropriate for these final weeks of the church year, reminding us to be ready for the Last Day, the day of judgment when our Divine Master will return, when we’ll have to present an account of our lives.

In today’s parable the master entrusts his goods to his servants in the form of talents.  A talent isn’t someone’s ability but a sum of money, equal to 6,000 denarii.  We hear several times in the Gospels of a coin worth a laborer’s daily wage; that’s a denarius.  So the servant in this parable who was given 5 talents received a sum equal to 30,000 denarii or about 80 years’ wages for a common laborer, like the men in another parable hired to work in a vineyard for a day (our gospel on Sept. 24).  Even the servant judged of least ability was entrusted with one talent, worth wages for 16 years.  Not chump change!

The master expected each servant to do something with his wealth, not just to sit on it—or bury it safely in the ground.

So—what precious trust has our Divine Master, Christ our Lord, given to us his servants?  Most fundamentally, he has offered us salvation:  redemption from our sins and resurrection to eternal life on the Last Day.  This is our faith, the faith we profess every Sunday when we pray the Creed.

When we were baptized, we accepted that faith.  We renew our commitment to that faith whenever we celebrate the sacraments:  Confirmation, the Holy Eucharist, Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, and the daily living out of Matrimony.

The Church of Jesus Christ teaches that she, the Church, is missionary.  By its nature it must proclaim the Good News of salvation in Christ to the whole world.  Pope Francis reminds us often that every Christian is a missionary, someone who makes Christ known and invites people to accept Christ’s love.  St. Paul exclaims to the Corinthians, “Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!” (1 Cor 9:16).

Given that, we may interpret today’s parable as an instruction to be missionaries of faith in our Lord Jesus, the precious talent entrusted to us:  to work to increase the number of those who believe in him and desire that he save them from sin and lead them to eternal life.

Christians who keep their faith to themselves are like the servant who buried the talent that was given to him.  Christians who proclaim their faith in word and action are like the servants who invested the talents given to them.

How do you do that?  Parents and grandparents do it by teaching their children to pray, taking them to church, instructing them in the faith, and reading the Scriptures with them.  You can also spread your faith by doing ministry in the parish—liturgical ministry like reading at Mass, joining a choir, or bringing Communion to the sick; teaching catechism; engaging in social ministry to the needy in whatever ways are at hand.

You also do it by praying—praying for priests and teachers; praying for vocations (including the vocation of marriage!); praying for missionaries; praying for those who are persecuted for their religious beliefs.

You can do it by keeping yourself informed about what’s going on in the Church thru reading and other Catholic media—seeking balanced media and not “fake news,” of course; and then being ready to speak about your Catholic faith and Christian values when asked or when challenged about them.

You could do it by political advocacy on behalf of issues like human rights, the environment, protection of human life, and other social justice and peace issues.

When our Divine Master summons us to “settle accounts” with him (Matt 25:19), we hope to be received with joy:  “Well done, good and faithful servant.  Since you were faithful in small matters,” I want you to “share your master’s joy.”  Come into the “full and lasting happiness” among the saints for which we prayed in the collect at the beginning of Mass.