Homily Thirty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time (Mt. 25:14-30)
Homily Thirty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time (Mt. 25:14-30)
During these last weeks of the Church year we have been reading a series of parables concerning the end times in the Gospel of Matthew. The stories Jesus tells contain a series of lessons about how we are to live as we wait to meet Jesus. We will have our encounter with the Lord at the end of our life, but we also may meet Jesus tomorrow if the world would end and he would come in all his glory.
Last week we read the story of the 10 virgins. We are reminded by that parable that we need to be ever watchful, our lamps filled with the oil of virtue. Often the oil is said to symbolize the charity we have done in our lives. The story we read next week concerns the final judgement. Our lives will be analyzed by Our Lord. We are to be accountable for how we take care of the poor in our midst.
The parable we read today seems a little out of step with the other two. We have a parable that any capitalist could relate to. We might surmise that our lives are to be about building up wealth. We hear the word talent in the parable. Some say a talent refers to the abilities we have in life. And that is the interpretation we have heard concerning this parable repeatedly in Christian preaching. If we have certain capabilities like intelligence, artistic talent, athleticism, a winning personality; we need to develop those charisms fully. If not, we are slothful miscreants.
But the word talent in the original Greek did not refer to talent the way we think of talent. A talent was measure of weight equal to seventy pounds. What Jesus was referring to was seventy pounds of gold which would have been worth about two million dollars in modern currency.
The parable, then, refers to series of economic transactions. The master was a hardnosed businessman who was all about making money, the more the better. His concern was about the material world. The basic premise of this story seems out of step with the Jesus we read about in the gospels.
Lending money for interest was strictly controlled in the Bible. Exodus 22:25 says that the Israelites were not to charge the poor interest. Deuteronomy 23:20 says we are not to charge friends and relatives interest. Proverbs 28:8 says that excessive interest is not to be charged. The person who has plenty of resources should not be greedy.
The master in the parable does not seem to be too concerned about how money is made. He has extraordinary wealth, but he wants more. He is also harsh. Not much to admire in the master. Would Jesus really have held him up as an image of God? Or is there another way to look at this parable?
Perhaps the last servant was more admirable than we might think. He said by his actions that he did not want to play the world’s games which say that object in life is about getting ever more power and money. The first two servants were sycophants who wanted the master to like them so they did what the could to ingratiate themselves to this powerful man. Again, the master did not ask them how they made the money. He only was interested in results.
The third servant’s major fault seems to be he was a coward. We have to wonder what would have happened if the last servant would have came to the master saying, “I don’t have you money sir, but I used it to start a soup kitchen, a foster care program and a hospital. All these nonprofits are doing well, and they will cost you no more money.” If the master represents God, we guess that he would have been very pleased.
Power and money can corrupt. We have had evidence once again in our church this week. The Vatican issued a report about the life of Theodore McCarrick who is the former Archbishop of Washington D.C. The story of Theodore McCarrick is as much about a man playing a worldly game to gain influence in worldly church. We should be shocked just as much by church leaders striving for more power and more money as we are about the sexual sin involved. The McCarrick report concerns clericalism at its worst. Truth telling is hard but necessary if the church is to be true to its founder. Jesus always sought the lowest place. He always wanted the poor to be taken care of. If we are good disciples, we have the same values.
Reflection Questions:
- Would I want the parable of the talents to end in a different way? What is an ending that I would write?
- How do I understand Clericalism? Is this sin only about the behavior of clergy or is this sin something others commit as well? How have I experienced it?
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Dear Parishioners,
During the past week we have, once again, received correspondence from the Peoria Diocese concerning the Coronavirus. It was decided on Friday that all Catholic Schools in the Diocese will convert to virtual classes beginning on Monday the sixteenth of November until January eighteenth. This is because of the high level of infections in our area. Hospitals are in danger of being overwhelmed by patients. This is truly a critical situation. As I write this letter, other schools are making the same decision.
We also will be suspending in person religious education classes beginning this weekend for the rest of the semester. We hope to return to our regular classes when schools reopen in January. We will try to provide online experiences for the children and will also try to send materials home for them. I feel sad for our students because they really benefit from being together. Let’s pray for them.
At this point in time we have received no directives from the diocese concerning our liturgies. Worship activities are not under the same rules as other gatherings. The rule of thumb continues to be that we can gather at twenty-five percent capacity. Our offices will be open, but we will try to have appointments and meetings virtually as much as possible.
We will have to continue to try our best to keep our church community together. Thank you to all who have been following our protocols so responsibly.
May Our Lady and all the Angels and Saints watch over us today.
Fr. Mark