Saturday of the Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time

Peter H. Davids

Ordinary Time • Sermon • Submitted 9 months ago • Presented 8 months ago

1 Thessalonians 4:9–11

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Our responsibility is for growing in love, a gift from God, and otherwise leading a quiet life. Jesus makes it clear that he amounts of spiritual gifting and virtues and the like that we have are a gift from God and that our job is to develop them and put them to good use. That faithfulness and not our results is what we will be judged on. So let us not join those who spend their time calling out others, but focus on acting in love and doing good within our jurisdiction and with those whom God has put in our path and trusting our Lord with the rest.

Notes

Transcript

Title

Entering into the Joy of Our Lord

Outline

We want to define for ourselves what is virtuous

We, we say, have developed our abilities, our inborn talent - and there is some truth in that

We even define what is good, what is virtuous, and we will call our who is not virtuous

Now in the Catholic Church we do have standard for what is true and virtuous, but not on who interprets it for whom.

Our readings say that there are standards and one who is responsible for them

Paul makes the basic parameters clear

He picks up the example of “mutual charity” or seeking the good of another within the community. The source of this virtue is God, for they had been “taught by God” - we would say that this is an infused virtue. Paul only seeks to encourage more effort in the virtues they already have. He sets as their goals “a tranquil life,” minding their own affairs, and working with their own hands (assuming they have that ability). Notice that these are all within their own community. He will later take up a collection for the suffering Jerusalem community and of course prays for many communities, but they do not tell one another what to do - even Paul does not do that unless he has founded the particular church, the particular community.

Jesus had laid the basis for Paul’s attitude

The man, perhaps a king as in Luke, i.e. God, give to each servant certain gifts (in the parable vast amounts of money, for they are talents of either silver or gold). The servant has no control about how much he receives - that is the king’s decision. They gifts are not even their own, for they will be returned to the king; they are to be use well. Two do use them well and when the king returns they have grown. Both the one who started with two and the one who started with five receive the same commendation: further responsibilities in the kingdom, honor, and especially entering into the joy of their master.

The only one who is condemned and in the end cast out is the one who does not understand that the gifts of his master are for the servant’s good, an opportunity for trust in which any gain will be rewarded and in which honest loss would not be condemned. And since he does not trust his master (perhaps because he is thinking about his own abilities), he misjudges his master, shows his own true colors, and ends up being cast out.

The same would be true whether the gift were silver or love or faith or counsel or any gift of God.

Sisters, there is a lot in here for us

In a world in which we have bishops, professors, and leaders calling out the Pope or others in the Church, on social media and sometimes in books and conferences, we should remind ourselves about minding our affairs and striving to lead a tranquil life. I do pray for Protestant leaders who seem to have blown it in one way or another, especially those in communities I know, but I try to limit my “input” of that sort of news. Likewise in the Catholic Church I am not interested in which bishop or lay leader or whoever has called out whoever, from Pope to pastor to professor to lay leader. That is above my pay grade and outside any of my dioceses, let alone communities.

I am interested in knowing how to pray for and, in my small way, support brothers and sisters in distress. And of course I also pray for understanding when it comes to those whom I need to follow in one way or another, whether it be the pastor down the road or my bishops or Vatican documents or the Pope. I find that God answers those prayers if I am patient, ready to listen, and actually need to know.

But I also realize that God has given me great gifts, both in terms of virtues and spiritual gifts and in terms of various abilities that he has developed over the years. My main focus has to be how to properly use and develop those gifts today so that at that time in my future (which is already in God’s today) when he takes up accounts with me I will be able to say I have dealt faithfully and will hear his “well-done, enter into the joy of your Lord.”

Readings

Catholic Daily Readings 9-2-2023: Saturday of the Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time

FIRST READING

1 Thessalonians 4:9–11

9 On the subject of mutual charity you have no need for anyone to write you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another. 10 Indeed, you do this for all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Nevertheless we urge you, brothers, to progress even more, 11 and to aspire to live a tranquil life, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your [own] hands, as we instructed you,

Catholic Daily Readings 9-2-2023: Saturday of the Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time

RESPONSE

Psalm 98:9

9 Before the LORD who comes,

who comes to govern the earth,

To govern the world with justice

and the peoples with fairness.

PSALM

Psalm 98:1, 7–9

1 A psalm.

Sing a new song to the LORD,

for he has done marvelous deeds.

His right hand and holy arm

have won the victory.

7 Let the sea and what fills it resound,

the world and those who dwell there.

8 Let the rivers clap their hands,

the mountains shout with them for joy,

9 Before the LORD who comes,

who comes to govern the earth,

To govern the world with justice

and the peoples with fairness.

Catholic Daily Readings 9-2-2023: Saturday of the Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

John 13:34

34 I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.

GOSPEL

Matthew 25:14–30

14 “It will be as when a man who was going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. 15 To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one—to each according to his ability. Then he went away. Immediately 16 the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five. 17 Likewise, the one who received two made another two. 18 But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money. 19 After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. 20 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.’ 21 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.’ 22 [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.’ 23 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.’ 24 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; 25 so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.’ 26 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? 27 Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return? 28 Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten. 29 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. 30 And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’

Notes

Catholic Daily Readings 9-2-2023: Saturday of the Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2023 | ORDINARY TIME

SATURDAY OF THE TWENTY-FIRST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

YEAR 1 | ROMAN MISSAL | LECTIONARY

First Reading 1 Thessalonians 4:9–11

Response Psalm 98:9

Psalm Psalm 98:1, 7–9

Gospel Acclamation John 13:34

Gospel Matthew 25:14–30

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