Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 157
19 NOV 2023 A.D.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.'"

Overview of the Gospel:

• In this Sunday’s Gospel, as we come closer to Advent, we hear Jesus continuing to speak to
themes of vigilance and preparation in anticipation of the end times: the end of the Jewish
temple in A.D. 70, the end of our lives as individuals, and the end of the world when he will
come again.

• In the parable of the talents, he is teaching his disciples, and us, that while we wait for the end
we should not, out of fear of failure or fear of accountability, neglect to use our talents.

• The talent spoken of in the parable was a valuable piece of money of undetermined value—
usually a silver bar. Note the servants did not earn them, but were given them in trust by their
master. The amounts he gave them depended on their abilities to manage them—apparently
the master knew his servants and their capabilities very well.

• At the return of the master, they are judged on what they did with what they were given:
contrast the judgment of the “good and faithful” (verses 21ff) with the “wicked and lazy” (v 26).

• Like the talents given to the servants, we are all given talents by God, according to our ability.
He also gives us, for the asking, the means (grace and wisdom) to use them.
[special thanks to Vince Contreras: "Sunday Scripture Study for Catholics."]


"Whatever is done out of love, be it ever so little and contemptible in the sight of the world, it becomes wholly fruitful. For God weighs more the love out of which a man works, than the works he does." ~ Thomas a’ Kempis

Thanks!

Yes! You're very welcome, Brother, tortilla-flats!