This is, in effect, the last Ordinary Sunday of the Church year. Next week, the 34th Sunday, we will celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. And again, as last week, we are reminded of not just of the end of the liturgical year, but of the end of all things and the preparations we need to make.
Last week, you may recall, the story of the ten bridesmaids waiting for the arrival of the bridegroom, was about constant readiness for the final coming of Christ. Today’s readings continue the same theme and, again, remind us of the preparations we need to make.
St. Paul, in his First Letter to the Thessalonians, reminds us that “the Day of the Lord” will come when we least expect it, so his advice it to “stay wide awake and sober.” And what should we be doing while we are wide awake in anticipation of the Lord’s coming? The Book of Proverbs suggests that we be as diligent and industrious as a loyal and faithful wife. A perfect wife, Proverbs says, “is far beyond the price of pearls.” She is hardworking, mainly for her family, but she also “holds out her hand to the poor, she opens her arms to the needy.” Her generous response to all the goodness God has shown her is seen in her care for others. Her value is not in her charm or her beauty, but in her wisdom, that is, in her awareness of where the real priorities in life lie.
Today’s Gospel passage, however, goes further in pinpointing the ultimate purpose of our activities. God has been so good to us and we are asked to respond to that goodness by sharing and “multiplying” His gifts. When we hear the parable of the talents, let’s remember that one talent was a very large sum of money. Some Biblical scholars suggest that one talent was worth twenty years’ wages! The parable, in the end, contains words of advice for the interim period between Christ’s Resurrection and His final return. It urges a responsible use of the goods (the gifts, the amazing grace) the Master has entrusted to us so that we may be ready to face Him when He calls us to account.
From today’s Mass: “Grant us, we pray, O Lord our God, the constant gladness of being devoted to you. It is full and lasting happiness to serve you, the author of all that is good. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son. Amen.”
