Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary time (A)
Much Is Entrusted To Us
Take the Risks of Faith
Greeting (See Second Reading)
We do not belong to the night or to darkness,
so we should not go on sleeping
but stay wide awake and sober.
May the Lord Jesus be your light and stay with you.
R/ And also with you.
Introduction by the Celebrant
1. Much Is Entrusted To Us
The Lord God trusts us more than we perhaps trust ourselves. He entrusts to us a lot of potential not only to become the persons and Christians he has called us to be, but also to build up the Church and God’s Kingdom. What a trust! He puts himself and the Church and the Kingdom into our hands! That trust is our responsibility. In this Eucharist we ask the Lord Jesus to make us respond fully to God’s deep trust in us.
2. Take The Risks Of Faith
It is disheartening to see at times how people with a lot of potential simply refuse to use their gifts. Are they afraid of committing themselves, of taking risks with people? Perhaps we too are scared to take the risk of putting ourselves into the hands of people. We keep our faith for Sundays but fail to invest it in the goodness of people, in forgiveness when we have been wronged, in speaking out for those who have no voice, in affection that may not be answered. Let us risk ourselves with the Lord here among us.
Penitential Act
We have used God’s gifts too easily
as if they had been given us for ourselves alone,
so we did not serve God and the Church.
We ask the Lord to forgive us.
(pause)
Lord Jesus, when you came among us
you wanted to set us free from all fear:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, you have entrusted to us
the future of the Church and of your kingdom:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you have made us
free and responsible in the service of God and the world:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Have mercy on us, Lord,
forgive us for misusing your gifts.
Make us servants with you
and lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening Prayer
Let us pray that we may respond
to God’s trust in us
(pause)
God, our kind and loving Father,
you no longer call us servants but friends.
There is so much you have entrusted to us,
even the future of your kingdom of justice and love.
Give us the grace to work out with you
the growth of mercy and goodness in this world,
to be united with all Christians
and with all who seek you with a sincere heart
in bringing reconciliation and joy to everyone.
Let us go together the way to you,
our living and loving God,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
First Reading: Prov 31:10-13,19-2,30-31 The Good Housekeeper Uses All Her Talents
Here is a picture of an exemplary mother and wife. She uses all her talents of mind and heart and faith in the service of her family and also of the poor.
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
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.
Second Reading: 1 Thes 5:1-6 Keep Awake for the Lord’s Coming
As “children of the light and the day,” we should be ready any time for the Lord’s coming, even though we do not know when he will come.
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
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 or Mt 25:14-15,19-20): What Have You Done With Your Talents?
God has given us rich gifts of faith. What have we done with them? With whom of the servants in the Gospel do we identify?
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.'”
Or
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.
“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.'”
Intercessions
What we are and have belongs to God. Let us pray that we may place everything in the service of the Church and of people, and let us say: R/ Lord, let all our actions praise you.
– That the Church may not be afraid to risk accepting the pains of renewal in Christ and bringing to all of humanity its message of hope and life, let us pray: R/ Lord, let all our actions praise you.
– That all people may share in the earth’s resources in justice, friendship and peace; that the mighty of this earth may cooperate toward the human and economic development of all nations and all social classes, let us pray: R/ Lord, let all our actions praise you.
– That women may take with honor their rightful place in the Church and in the world; that their cordiality, tact and sensitivity may warm this hard world with gentleness, let us pray: R/ Lord, let all our actions praise you.
– That inspiring homes and a good education may equip our young people to place their potentials in the service of the Church and of our people, let us pray: R/ Lord, let all our actions praise you.
– For all of us here, that we may be responsible under God for our own lives and each other’s happiness; that we may progress in service and unity and enrich one another in love, let us pray: R/ Lord, let all our actions praise you.
Lord our God, you have generously given us our talents. Do not allow us to be misers but help us to give the best of ourselves, through Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
we place ourselves and all you have made us
in these gifts of bread and wine,
that you may return them to us
as the body and blood of your Son.
Accept us with Jesus Christ
and convince us that with him
we have to share ourselves with one another
in our poverty and our riches.
May we thus build up one another
and give shape to your kingdom.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. R/ Amen.
Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
Let us with joy give thanks to the Father for all the gifts he has poured out on us in his Son Jesus Christ, and let us offer them with Jesus for the good of all in the Kingdom.
Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer
As children of light and of the day
we pray to God our Father
the prayer of Jesus. R/ Our Father…
Deliver Us
Deliver us Lord, from our passivity
and from our paralyzing fear
to commit ourselves to our people.
May we never stand still
to preserve what we have
but always continue to grow in love
and to develop your gifts in us,
that we may give a good account
to him who is to come,
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom…
Invitation to Communion
This is Jesus, the Lamb of God.
He gave all he had, his life and death,
that others might live
and become capable of giving themselves.
Happy are we to receive him
and to expect his return without fear. R/ Lord, I am not worthy…
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God, source of all that is good,
through the gift of your Son Jesus Christ
you have made us capable
of sowing the seeds of your life and love.
When you ask for an account
of what we have done with our lives,
may we hear from your own lips
that we have been good and faithful servants
who did much with the little we had,
and that we may enter your lasting joy.
Grant us this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Blessing
Our life with all that we are and have
is not ours to possess,
for it is a trust from God.
It is a loan from him,
not to kept safely in a “hole in the ground”
but to work with as best as we can,
each according to his ability.
May almighty God give you the courage
to serve him and people
with all that is in you, and may he bless you:
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Let us go in the peace of Christ
and be his good and faithful servants. R/ Thanks be to God.
Reflection:
19 November 2023
Matthew 25: 14-30
Do not be afraid to take risks.
In the parable of the talents, Jesus teaches us the importance of using our gifts for the benefit of God’s people. Pope Francis points out that this parable relates to the life of every individual. This parable reflects the beginning, the middle and the end of our lives.
Everything begins with great good. The master does not keep his wealth to himself but gives it to his servants: five talents to one, two to another, one to a third, “to each according to his ability” (Mt 25:15). According to estimates, one talent was equivalent to about 30 kilograms of silver – in today’s terms, it would equate to approximately US$ 25,000.00: it was of immense value. This is the beginning.
The beginning of everything for us, too, is not with our efforts but always begins with God’s grace, who entrusts different talents to each of us. The life we have received, the good qualities we possess, the indelible beauty God has given us by shaping us in his image… This is the huge amount of talent that God has left with us. It is sufficient for our lifetime.
However, often, we look only at the things we lack and complain about what we do not have.We are seldom content or satisfied with what we have. We are so obsessed with the phrase, “If only…”! If only I had that job… if only I had that home… if only I didn’t have this or that problem… Those illusory words – if only! – prevent us from seeing the good all around us.
In the Gospel, good servants are those who take risks. They are neither fearful nor over-cautious; they do not cling to what they possess. If goodness is not invested, it is lost. Jesus addressed those servants who took the risk, calling them “faithful” (vv. 21, 23). Unless you take risks, you will end up like the third servant: burying your abilities, your material and spiritual wealth, and everything you possess.