33RD WEDNESDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Lk 19:11-28) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

“Why did you not put my money in a bank?” (Lk 19:23)

FIRST READING - Rv 4:1-11

A reading from the Book of Revelation

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.”

GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Lk 19:11-28

From the Gospel according to Luke

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.

33RD WEDNESDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Lk 19:11-28)

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

Dear People of God,

The Word of God in today's Gospel speaks of a parable: there was a master who, before going on a journey, gave his servants different talents so that they could make a profit for him. When he returned, the master called his servants to collect the profit from the talents he had given.

This is the story that God wants to lead us to the eternal Kingdom of Heaven in the future. God teaches His disciples that to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, right here on earth, each person must make a profit from the talents that God has given. Those talents are graces from God.

God gives each person different talents, and they must make a profit for God, which is to help bring souls to Him. For God, each person is a faithful steward of His. But over time, people have encountered challenges and storms in life, so there have been servants who were disloyal and unfaithful to God.

Through the Word of God today, God calls on all His children to be faithful to God, to be faithful to the talents that are the graces that God gives to make a profit, to help, and to bring souls back to God. God does not want humans to fall into Satan's trap, which is to bury talents which are the graces that God gives. This is like the image of the servant who hid the talent very carefully, so as not to make a profit for the master.

Today, God also wants His children to look at the example of the first and second servants who knew how to make a profit with the talents of the master so that when the master returned, he would praise and reward them with more talents which are other graces.

Through that, He teaches people to always try to make a profit from the talents that God gives to each person.

God wants humanity to seek the happiness of the Kingdom of Heaven, not to worry about accumulating worldly wealth; because the graces or talents that God gives to humanity are to help save souls and save our souls from the captivity of Satan and to let our souls belong completely to God.

When the time comes for God to call these faithful servants out of this world, the souls of these faithful servants will be brought by Him to enjoy the eternal happiness of the Kingdom of Heaven.

God calls on all humanity in today's world to:

-Always know how to make a profit for God from different graces or talents that God gives to each person; because on the day God calls everyone out of this world, each person will have to return to God the talents that He has given.

-Pour out all our hearts, all our strengths, our whole bodies, and souls into doing good works for God, to make a profit for God from the talents or graces God has given to each person when entering this world.

Thanks be to God. Amen.