20210828 MAKING PROGRESS IN THE WORK OF EVANGELISATION
28 August, 2021, Saturday, 21st Week, Ordinary Time
First reading |
1 Thessalonians 4:9-11 © |
You have learnt from God how to love one another
As for loving our brothers, there is no need for anyone to write to you about that, since you have learnt from God yourselves to love one another, and in fact this is what you are doing with all the brothers throughout the whole of Macedonia. However, we do urge you, brothers, to go on making even greater progress and to make a point of living quietly, attending to your own business and earning your living, just as we told you to.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 97(98):1,7-9 © |
The Lord comes to rule the people with fairness.
Sing a new song to the Lord
for he has worked wonders.
His right hand and his holy arm
have brought salvation.
The Lord comes to rule the people with fairness.
Let the sea and all within it, thunder;
the world, and all its peoples.
Let the rivers clap their hands
and the hills ring out their joy
The Lord comes to rule the people with fairness.
at the presence of the Lord: for he comes,
he comes to rule the earth.
He will rule the world with justice
and the peoples with fairness.
The Lord comes to rule the people with fairness.
Gospel Acclamation | Ph2:15-16 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
You will shine in the world like bright stars
because you are offering it the word of life.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn13:34 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I give you a new commandment:
love one another just as I have loved you,
says the Lord.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 25:14-30 © |
You have been faithful in small things: come and join in your master's happiness
Jesus spoke this parable to his disciples: ‘The kingdom of Heaven is like a man on his way abroad who summoned his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to a third one; each in proportion to his ability. Then he set out.
‘The man who had received the five talents promptly went and traded with them and made five more. The man who had received two made two more in the same way. But the man who had received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
‘Now a long time after, the master of those servants came back and went through his accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents came forward bringing five more. “Sir,” he said “you entrusted me with five talents; here are five more that I have made.”
‘His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have shown you can be faithful in small things, I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master’s happiness.”
‘Next the man with the two talents came forward. “Sir,” he said “you entrusted me with two talents; here are two more that I have made.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have shown you can be faithful in small things, I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master’s happiness.”
‘Last came forward the man who had the one talent. “Sir,” said he “I had heard you were a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered; so I was afraid, and I went off and hid your talent in the ground. Here it is; it was yours, you have it back.” But his master answered him, “You wicked and lazy servant! So you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered? Well then, you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have recovered my capital with interest. So now, take the talent from him and give it to the man who has the five talents. For to everyone who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough; but from the man who has not, even what he has will be taken away. As for this good-for-nothing servant, throw him out into the dark, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.”’
MAKING PROGRESS IN THE WORK OF EVANGELISATION
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ 1 TH 4:9-11; PS 98:1,7-9; MT 25:14-30 ]
In the Parable of the Talents, the context of the evangelist’s inclusion of this parable was to remind the Christian community of their responsibility to make progress in their spiritual life, to let God’s kingdom rule their lives and to extend the Kingdom of God as the Lord commanded them just before His ascension. The Lord told them, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) This command to spread the Good News is reinforced in today’s parable when Jesus said, “A man on his way abroad summoned his servants and entrusted his property to them.” This refers to His ascension.
With the ascension, the Lord gave them the gifts of the Spirit so that they could be empowered to be His witnesses. “To one he gave five talents, to another two, to a third one; each in proportion to his ability.” The Holy Spirit gives to all different gifts. As St Paul says, “All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.” (1 Cor 12:11) Until then, the Christians are to continue to work for the growth of the Kingdom until the Second Coming of the Lord when God will call us to judgment. Hence, Matthew says, “Then he set out. Now a long time after, the master of those servants came back and went through his accounts with them.”
St Paul also urged the Christians in Thessalonica to do the same. He wrote, “we do urge you, brothers, to go on making even greater progress and to make a point of living quietly, attending to your own business and earning your living, just as we told you to.” The context of this exhortation was because some Christians who thought that the Second Coming was imminent, stopped working and spent their time idling, gossiping and causing trouble to others. This was what the angel told the disciples when they continued to stare at the sky when Jesus ascended. “While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.'” (Acts 1:10f)
How does one make progress in growing the Kingdom of God in one’s personal life and that of the community and of society in general? What would be the attitudes required of us Christians when awaiting the Second Coming of Christ? We must be progressive by taking initiative to extend the reign of Christ, each according to the role and talents the Lord has given to us. Like the servants who were given five and two talents, they developed, invested and grew the amount the master gave to them. “The man who had received the five talents promptly went and traded with them and made five more. The man who had received two made two more in the same way.” When we seek to grow the gifts the Lord has given to us, it requires not just initiative but it also means taking calculated risks. As it is said, “no risk, no gain.” We need courage and faith in God and in ourselves when we venture on something that is not within our control.
But that was what the early Christians did. They ventured out to proclaim the Good News, first at the Temple, then to the people and even to the Sanhedrin. When they were persecuted, they fled to the countryside and started to evangelize in Samaria and throughout the countryside of Judea. (Acts 8:1) St Paul later ventured out to proclaim the gospel at Damascus and went on three missionary trips to Macedonia and the surrounding Greek cities, preaching first to the Jews then to the Gentiles. Eventually, he brought the gospel to Rome as well. All these were done at great cost to their lives because of persecutions.
And that is what our early missionaries did as well. With Colonialism through trade and then conquest, Europe also brought with them missionaries to Asia and the Far East. Many of them came to a land with very different and diverse cultures, languages and religions. But they were ready to leave their homeland, travelling months on the seas to arrive at the shores of Asia. There they sowed the seeds of faith. Singapore is one of those countries that have benefitted from the labour of the missionaries who not only proclaimed the Good News about Jesus but accompanying the proclamation with works of mercy, providing education, land, medicine and food to the people. The missionaries had foresight, courage, patience and perseverance in sowing the seeds of faith and building up the local church.
The rewards of making full use of our talents and working for the Kingdom is that not only do our recipients benefit but we also benefit because God will grow our knowledge, talents and experience, and we are empowered to do more so that we will always be living to our optimum level. This was what the master told the first two servants who brought in more talents. His master said to him, “Well done good and faithful servant; you have shown you can be faithful in small things, I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master’s happiness.” Indeed, when we do something well and we exercise our potentials, we grow and become better and more skilful and knowledgeable as well. Whether we are teacher or student, benefactor or beneficiary, we all grow together in maturity and in spiritual life.
However, those who are afraid to take up the challenge to grow the gifts that God has given to them, will eventually stifle themselves to death. This was the case of the Jews during the time of Jesus when this parable was addressed to them. The religious leaders were more concerned with preserving the Laws of Moses and keeping them intact. They were exclusive in their faith, not just to the Gentiles but even to those whom they considered sinners, because they could not keep to the details of the laws. This is true for us as Christians as well. Some of us read the bible rigidly and fail to understand deeper the Word of God. Although scriptures are fixed and contain the fullness of revelation, the understanding of scriptures and God’s revelation can grow in depth and in understanding, especially when we seek to apply them to our context. Scriptures is not a dead book but kept alive by the community of faith. This is why we cannot read scriptures or even the doctrines of the Church as if they are carved in stone. Truths cannot change but understanding of the truths can grow. This is why the doctrines of the Church are never fixated but grow in continuity with what was taught.
Failure to take the risk of making the gospel relevant to our people today is the cause of the loss of faith and members. Unless the gospel makes sense to our people, they will no longer perceive it as Good News. This is why we need to reinterpret and recast the same truths of the gospel in new and creative ways, using different forms of communications to communicate the gospel to our present generation. Otherwise we will lose them to the world. We cannot remain closed to the changing situation and cultures. We need to make ourselves relevant and this calls for courage to take risks, to adapt and make changes, of course, always faithful to the unchanging truths of scripture and tradition.
The Lord warns us that we must not be lazy, wicked and worthless servants. Lazy because we are indifferent to the need to make progress in the work of evangelisation; wicked because we fail to appreciate the gift of faith and the many talents in our lives given to us not just for ourselves but for others; worthless because we fail to make a difference in the lives of others. This is what the Lord reminds us, “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.’ (Mt 5:13) The best way to protect our faith is not to hide it or keep it for ourselves. We will lose what we try to save. “Those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.” (Mt 16:25) The only way to preserve our faith and our life is to proclaim and share the Good News with others, and to expend our lives for the service of others. In proclamation and in sharing, we are doubly enriched.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment