Wednesday - November 16, 2022
"The happy person in this life needs friends.”
― St. Thomas Aquina
TODAY'S READINGS
Wednesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 498
Reading I
I, John, had a vision of an open door to heaven,
and I heard the trumpetlike voice
that had spoken to me before, saying,
“Come up here and I will show you what must happen afterwards.”
At once I was caught up in spirit.
A throne was there in heaven, and on the throne sat one
whose appearance sparkled like jasper and carnelian.
Around the throne was a halo as brilliant as an emerald.
Surrounding the throne I saw twenty-four other thrones
on which twenty-four elders sat,
dressed in white garments and with gold crowns on their heads.
From the throne came flashes of lightning,
rumblings, and peals of thunder.
Seven flaming torches burned in front of the throne,
which are the seven spirits of God.
In front of the throne was something that resembled
a sea of glass like crystal.
In the center and around the throne,
there were four living creatures
covered with eyes in front and in back.
The first creature resembled a lion, the second was like a calf,
the third had a face like that of a man,
and the fourth looked like an eagle in flight.
The four living creatures, each of them with six wings,
were covered with eyes inside and out.
Day and night they do not stop exclaiming:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty,
who was, and who is, and who is to come.”
Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks
to the one who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever,
the twenty-four elders fall down
before the one who sits on the throne
and worship him, who lives forever and ever.
They throw down their crowns before the throne, exclaiming:
“Worthy are you, Lord our God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things;
because of your will they came to be and were created.”
Responsorial Psalm
R. (1b) Holy, holy, holy Lord, mighty God!
Praise the LORD in his sanctuary,
praise him in the firmament of his strength.
Praise him for his mighty deeds,
praise him for his sovereign majesty.
R. Holy, holy, holy Lord, mighty God!
Praise him with the blast of the trumpet,
praise him with lyre and harp,
Praise him with timbrel and dance,
praise him with strings and pipe.
R. Holy, holy, holy Lord, mighty God!
Praise him with sounding cymbals,
praise him with clanging cymbals.
Let everything that has breath
praise the LORD! Alleluia.
R. Holy, holy, holy Lord, mighty God!
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I chose you from the world,
to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia
Gospel
While people were listening to Jesus speak,
he proceeded to tell a parable because he was near Jerusalem
and they thought that the Kingdom of God
would appear there immediately.
So he said,
“A nobleman went off to a distant country
to obtain the kingship for himself and then to return.
He called ten of his servants and gave them ten gold coins
and told them, ‘Engage in trade with these until I return.’
His fellow citizens, however, despised him
and sent a delegation after him to announce,
‘We do not want this man to be our king.’
But when he returned after obtaining the kingship,
he had the servants called, to whom he had given the money,
to learn what they had gained by trading.
The first came forward and said,
‘Sir, your gold coin has earned ten additional ones.’
He replied, ‘Well done, good servant!
You have been faithful in this very small matter;
take charge of ten cities.’
Then the second came and reported,
‘Your gold coin, sir, has earned five more.’
And to this servant too he said,
‘You, take charge of five cities.’
Then the other servant came and said,
‘Sir, here is your gold coin;
I kept it stored away in a handkerchief,
for I was afraid of you, because you are a demanding man;
you take up what you did not lay down
and you harvest what you did not plant.’
He said to him,
‘With your own words I shall condemn you,
you wicked servant.
You knew I was a demanding man,
taking up what I did not lay down
and harvesting what I did not plant;
why did you not put my money in a bank?
Then on my return I would have collected it with interest.’
And to those standing by he said,
‘Take the gold coin from him
and give it to the servant who has ten.’
But they said to him,
‘Sir, he has ten gold coins.’
He replied, ‘I tell you,
to everyone who has, more will be given,
but from the one who has not,
even what he has will be taken away.
Now as for those enemies of mine who did not want me as their king,
bring them here and slay them before me.’”
After he had said this,
he proceeded on his journey up to Jerusalem.
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Investing in the kingdom
As we approach Advent, the Church focuses us on Christ’s kingship, because Jesus was born among us to open up for us the KINGdom of God. The parable in today’s Gospel passage, about a victorious king, gives us a glimpse into the mind of Jesus.
As he headed for Jerusalem, he knew he would suffer. He knew he faced a tremendously horrific battle in order to win victory over the devils who want to hold shut the door to the Kingdom of God to keep us out: “Now as for those enemies of mine who did not want me as their king, bring them here and slay them before me.”
In our daily temptations, we fight an enemy that doesn’t want Jesus to be our king, but guess what, Jesus has already been crowned! Despair and worry are merely an attempt to make us forget that Christ is already the Victor King. Hope and joy come from remembering that we are already members of his kingdom, safe and secure in the power of his presence.
We are princes and princesses of this kingdom. We have received an inheritance of many gifts – time, talents and treasures – which our King has asked us to invest for the sake of increasing the profits of his kingdom. Are you investing your gifts wisely? Are you hiding anything? Are you holding tightly onto any treasure so as not to lose it?
Notice that the only person in this parable who lost what he’d been given was the one who tried to protect it. When we invest nothing, when we do only the mediocre or the bare minimum, nothing grows. We are useless. Worse than that, we’re wicked. It’s wicked to do nothing for the kingdom when so much needs to be done! Evil flourishes when we keep the gifts of God hidden, using them only for ourselves.
Okay, but why does the King give more to the one who already has much? Isn’t the person who starts out with less in greater need of God’s generosity? Yes, but we are not the only investors here. God is investing in you. Are you a good investment? Do you have a good history of using well what he has given you? Have you proven yourself worthy of receiving more by giving more?
In the economy of God’s kingdom, there is no such thing as a failed investment. Nothing is wasted unless nothing is done. Even if we make poor choices, the benefit is greater than doing nothing, because Jesus will make good come out of everything if we let him be our King.
When we do our best, even if it’s not great, we become better. We don’t become a top investor overnight. But if we truly desire to excel in the use of our gifts and talents for the sake of the kingdom, God invests his time in our “invest-ability”. He puts his resources where it can increase and spread.
Today's Prayer
My Lord, Grant me the grace to overcome fear and comfort and to launch into the mission You entrusted to me. Amen.
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