Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A -
(November 15, 2020)
(EPISODE: 261)
Readings for 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time - A
FIRST READING: Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31
Psalm 128:1-2, 3, 4-5. "Happy are those who fear the Lord."
SECOND READING: 1 Thess 5:1-6
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (John 15:4a+5b). Alleluia, alleluia! Live in me, and let me live in you, says the Lord. My branches bear much fruit.
GOSPEL: Matthew 25:14-30 or 25:14-15, 19-21 (diff)
Image Credit: Shutterstock Licensed. ID: 9525264- Parable about the talent buried in the ground colour. By askib
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Please listen to the audio-recordings of the Mass – (Readings, prayers and homily), for Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A – Sunday, November 15, 2020, by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-33a-episode-261/s-FdhgLkBr4Ot
(EPISODE: 261)
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*Prologue (Fr Paul):[Gospel values included in the readings: God entrusts us with gifts according to our abilities. The gifts we have are given to be shared and nurtured]
We certainly all have different gifts and talents, and it would be more than a tragedy to bury them…..
The key to this parable is that the master gave each servant the number of talents according to their abilities… So he KNEW what they could do and he expected them to do what they could with their gifts.….
We can be our own worst enemies when it comes to saying things like: "'I am not good at that' or…. " I can't do this"…. It is God who truly knows all the things that we "ARE" and "ARE NOT" able to do. Talents and gifts are to be promoted and nurtured or they else they get wasted.
Our Lord can see through our lame excuses too.
Jesus shows us what happens if people distort the Good news of God's Kingdom…….. Imagine a farmer handing back to the seed merchant - a pack of seeds and saying … "here it is… you gave it to me... I have preserved the seed… kept it dry….… and here is the seed back exactly in the same condition as you gave it to me…". How crazy would that be?… The seed is meant for the sowing. It is intended for planting… for watering…. and for germination… Its whole purpose is to break open, grow and bear fruit…- .. //
There are also countless stories of saints and famous people, over the ages, who overcame great obstacles (including very poor health), and limitations of all sorts, to produce the most amazing, (disproportionate),l fruits and astounding results in their lives….. They did it by relying on god's grace, and trusting in God's help and then adding determination, hard work and utilising well the talents and vision they DID possess….. // It is the story of the 'tortoise and the hare' – slow and steady wins the race…..….
The reward, in God's kingdom, is an unusual one, according to this parable - - Those who do well, are given even more responsibility (That is, they are given even more work to do)… Sounds a little daunting doesn't it… But we remember the saying: "If you want something done, ask a busy person". If we use our gifts, they will deepen, they will increase in significance and effect…. If we don't use our gifts they will weaken…..we could lose them….. so the best way to keep our gifts is to use them in the service of God's Kingdom…here and now…. serving God, by helping others. … – And, what better work to do than helping to produce the fruits of God's Kingdom -
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Homily – Fr Peter –
33rd Sunday – Ordinary Time - Year A – 2020
In a world that seems to be low on trust, in today's Gospel we are introduced to a man who entrusts his entire property to his servant while he is abroad. He seems to be an enterprising employer who hopes that his own daring in business matters will be reflected in his servant's attitudes as they face this new challenge. Before we proceed too far into this gospel passage, it might add to its interest to know that a "talent" was in fact an amount of currency, a great deal of currency in fact. One talent was worth about $1.4 million in today's money, so we are talking about a very wealthy and trusting boss.
Ironically, if we're simply referring to talents as a person's gifts or abilities, in some cases there are certain talented people whose gifts have returned them vast amounts of money. While we can recognise that such talents are important, and all credit should go to those who possess them and use them wisely, we must admit that certain talents like those involving music, art or sport is outrageously over-valued and over-rewarded. Even though we might not recognise our unique talents as being of monetary value to the rest of the world, we should at least accept that each person possesses certain skills and abilities that, if developed, may be of great personal value to the individual. But they don't usually come with instruction on how to use them wisely. That is the responsibility of the one who owns them.
Notice in this parable the wealthy man doesn't instruct the servants what to do with the talents he gives them, he simply wants them to use their own initiative. He wants them to recognise the trust he places in them and do something worthwhile that might provide a return for that trust. Some might say this is a risky approach, but as we see two of the three servants have shown a sound approach to this opportunity.
The third servant, the one who refuses to involve himself in the spirit of the enterprise, is the one who represents the Pharisees, the ones who want to keep things exactly as they have always been, and it is for that stale attitude that Jesus condemns them. He is wanting them, and ultimately we who are listening now, to understand that there can be no religion without risk. Willingness to dare is an essential part of our faith.
As in all the parables, we are being taught about the nature of God and our relationship with God. As people of faith, we can accept that it is God who has bestowed upon us our talents, but what we do with those talents, how we acknowledge them and use them for the service of the kingdom, is the real challenge here.
How the servants understand their master is the key since two of them have a completely different approach to the third. In his apprehension, he risks nothing, and not surprisingly, nothing comes from it. He takes the problem away from himself and his lack of creativity and places it on the master, who he portrays as a harsh employer, even though he has entrusted some of his fortune to the servants.
Of course, whenever we accept a risk or challenge we can be haunted by the question" What happens if we fail?" "What if we don't make a success of what we have been given?" Well, one thing is certain. If we never try we will never succeed, and we never exercise our talents then no one will benefit. The only real failure is to bury our gifts and never let them see their potential.
To refuse to take a risk is to refuse to trust. It is to require absolute certitude and knowledge of the future, or at least a certain control over the circumstances of life. To refuse to risk is to require the assurance that we will never fail. We cannot hope to stand before the Lord on the last day and claim that we have done nothing because we were afraid we might not succeed. We will never know how successful we might be if we refuse to take a risk.
These last few days of waiting for the end of the church's year is a period of opportunity, of active engagement, of creative growth. One's future does not rest on the extent or quality of one's talent, but on how a person uses those talents while they wait for the master to return.
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References:
HOMILY – FR PETER DILLON
PROLOGUE - Fr Paul W. Kelly
##THE DAILY STUDY BIBLE. GOSPEL OF Matthew. (REVISED EDITION). BY WILLIAM BARCLAY.
Prepare the Word Resources,
Mark Link
Image Credit: Shutterstock Licensed. ID: 9525264- Parable about the talent buried in the ground colour. By askib
Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A (November 15, 2020)
(EPISODE: 261 )
The Lord be with you.
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Coming together as brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pause and reflect upon our sins, in order to celebrate the Holy Eucharist.
Lord Jesus, you have revealed yourself as the way to the Father: Lord, have mercy//You have poured out on your people the Spirit of truth: Christ, have mercy//You are the Good Shepherd, leading us to eternal life: Lord, have mercy.//
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
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Memorial Acclamation
2. When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again.
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PREFACE: Sundays Ordinary III
Euch prayer two
Communion side. pwk: LH
(theme variation: 3 )
(pre+post variation: 1)
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Go forth, the Mass is ended.
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Archive of homilies and reflections: http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au
To contact Fr. Paul, please email: paulwkelly68@gmail.com
To listen to my weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here.
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Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog:
"Faith, Hope and Love - Christian worship and reflection" - Led by Rev Paul Kelly
Prayers and chants — Roman Missal, 3rd edition, © 2010, The International Commission on English in the liturgy. (ICEL)
Scriptures - New Revised Standard Version: © 1989, and 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA)
"The Psalms" ©1963, 2009, The Grail - Collins publishers.
Prayers of the Faithful - " Together we pray" by Robert Borg'. E.J. Dwyer, Publishers, (1993) . (Sydney Australia).
Sung "Mass In Honour of St. Ralph Sherwin" - By Jeffrey M. Ostrowski. The Gloria, Copyright © 2011 ccwatershed.org.
- "Faith, Hope and Love" theme hymn - in memory of William John Kelly - Inspired by 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. Music by Paul W. Kelly. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019.
"Quiet Time." Instrumental Reflection music. Written by Paul W Kelly. 1988, 2007. & This arrangement: Stefan Kelk, 2020.
- "Today I Arise" - For Trisha J Kelly. Original words and music by Paul W. Kelly. Inspired by St Patrick's Prayer. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019.
[ Production - KER - 2020]
May God bless and keep you.
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