The Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)
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.'"
—Matthew 5:21
As the Church year comes to an end, a single theme is brought into sharp focus: the coming fulfillment of hope-filled promises and even of time itself as we look forward to the return of Christ.
Because of this—as readings about judgment and the “end times” giving shape to our liturgical prayer in these days—some might find themselves feeling a little uncomfortable. This can be especially true for those Christians who have had the threat of divine judgment used as a weapon against them, with God depicted as always ready to strike us with a divine hammer that hovers just above our heads. But we would do well to remember that a heavy-handed proclamation that “the end is near” isn’t why we hear these texts in the final weeks of Ordinary Time.
Instead, the liturgy is inviting us to reflect on the promise of Christ’s return by reminding us that we have been given this span of time to change what needs to be changed in our lives and in the world around us and to do the good that we are able because we know who and whose we are. Rather than being a time of doom and dire warnings, the emphasis in these days should be on gratitude and the opportunities that remain available to us to live what we profess with integrity and love.
And so, with all this in mind, we are invited to reflect on the “Parable of the Talents,” which is proclaimed on the Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Here, Jesus tells the story of a wealthy man who gives talanton to his slaves—five, two, and one—“according to their ability.” One “talent” was worth 6,000 days’—or 16 years’—wages, which was an imaginable amount of money for the average person in Jesus’ day. The slaves who had been entrusted with five and two talents succeeded in doubling their master’s money; the slave with the single talent buried it in the ground to avoid the risk of losing it. The master in the parable rewards the first and second slaves, but the slave who buried the money out of fear was condemned as being “wicked and lazy” and thrown “into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”
“Fidelity to the reign of God requires that we be willing to risk… We cannot hope to stand before the Lord on the last day and claim that we have done nothing because we were afraid we might not succeed. We will never know how successful we might be if we refuse to risk.
-Diane Bergant, CSA, in Preaching the New Lectionary: Year A
Some preachers might use this passage as an opportunity to reflect on economic inequality or as a “stewardship talk,” urging parishioners to increase their offerings of time, talent, and treasure. However, as we engage this parable we can’t ignore that the Church has chosen to proclaim this text at the end of the year and has even paired it with a passage from Proverbs 31 which praises the industry, trustworthiness, and versatility of a God-fearing woman. This woman—who is praised with the Hebrew adjective ḥayil which is the same word used to describe the valor a soldier shows in battle—stands in stark contrast to the timid servant of the Gospel who was so frightened of failure that he chose not to act at all.
The point being highlighted in the pairing of these Readings is that we are supposed to use the time we have to do something. Our experience of watching and waiting for Christ’s return and the fulfillment of God’s promises is not intended to be a passive experience. Rather, we are called to foster and develop the unique gifts that have been entrusted to each of us and to allow those gifts to enrich the world around us. Each day is itself a gift, and if we are truly living for the future, we have an obligation to make the most of today.
But these last days of the Church year should also inspire within us a certain sense of urgency because, as Paul reminded the Thessalonians, the Lord will return “as a thief in the night” (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6). We will hear the same theme repeated in Advent, as we prepare to celebrate Christ’s coming in history (the celebration of Christmas), in mystery (recognizing the ways that he comes to us each day in our prayer, celebrations of the sacraments, reading of Sacred Scripture, and acts of service), and in majesty at the end of time.
Ultimately, the Gospel requires us to be open to change and to a way of life that is far different from what we might choose for ourselves. Pope Francis has certainly spoken about this urgency and this sense of commitment is what Dietrich Bonhoeffer has called “the cost of discipleship.” At stake in all this is the question of whether, at the end of the day, we are truly a follower of Jesus or simply an admirer. The Danish theologian and philosopher Søren Kierkegaard summarizes this distinction in this way:
A follower is or strives to be what he admires. An admirer, however, keeps himself personally detached. He fails to see that what is admired involves a claim upon him, and thus he fails to be or strive to be what he admires.
It is precisely because of Christ’s claim upon us that we should take to heart the Gospel’s call to attentive action. We watch and wait, knowing that the Day of the Lord is near, but the quality of our waiting moves us to action in the spirit of the Wise Woman of Proverbs. And so, we commit ourselves to the work of conversion, to the giving of our selves over for the sake of others, and to opening our minds and hearts to risk living for a Truth that is infinitely greater that what we might ever ask or imagine:
Behold, thus is the one blessed
who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.—Psalm 128:4-5
Grant us, we pray, O Lord our God,
the constant gladness of being devoted to you,
for it is full and lasting happiness
to serve with constancy
the author of all that is good.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
-Collect for the Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
