Wednesday, November 18, 2020

 

Wednesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time

 (Revelation 4:1-11; Luke 19:11-28)

 Today’s gospel sounds much like last Sunday’s. It comes from the Gospel of Luke, however, and Sunday’s gospel came from the Gospel of Matthew.  The differences between the two help us understand something about the composition of the gospels as well as Jesus’ intention in this parable.

Luke’s shares with Matthew’s Jesus’ parable about the need for his followers to perform good works.  If they just sit on their hands in his absence like the servant who hides his master’s money, they will come to regret their inactivity.  On Jesus’ return at the end of time, they will lose all that was given to them.  In Matthew’s version of the parable the unproductive servant suffers damnation as well. In Luke those who suffer a worse fate than loss of money are they who do not want the noble master as their king.  This development of Luke is a reference to the Jews of Jerusalem who will refuse to recognize Jesus as Lord.  The Romans will destroy the city and kill many Jerusalemites later in the first century.

We see Christ as our king.  He protects us and helps us to realize our destiny as children of God.  He also commands us to build up one another with the talents that he has bestowed on us.  Faith in this vision and adherence to it will carry us to eternal life.  Disregard of it will lead us to the oblivion of death.