Reading 1 Prv 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31 When one finds a worthy wife, her value is far beyond pearls. Her husband, entrusting his heart to her, has an unfailing prize. She brings him good, and not evil, all the days of her life. She obtains wool and flax and works with loving hands. She puts her hands to the distaff, and her fingers ply the spindle. She reaches out her hands to the poor, and extends her arms to the needy. Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting; the woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her a reward for her labors, and let her works praise her at the city gates.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5 R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord. Blessed are you who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways! For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork; blessed shall you be, and favored. R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord. Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the recesses of your home; Your children like olive plants around your table. R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord. Behold, thus is the man blessed who fears the LORD. The LORD bless you from Zion: may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life. R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Reading 2 1 Thes 5:1-6 Concerning times and seasons, brothers and sisters, you have no need for anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief at night. When people are saying, "Peace and security, " then sudden disaster comes upon them, like labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness, for that day to overtake you like a thief. For all of you are children of the light and children of the day. We are not of the night or of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep as the rest do, but let us stay alert and sober.
Alleluia Jn 15:4a, 5b R. Alleluia, alleluia. Remain in me as I remain in you, says the Lord. Whoever remains in me bears much fruit. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 25:14-30 Jesus told his disciples this parable: "A man going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one-- to each according to his ability. Then he went away. Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five. Likewise, the one who received two made another two. But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master's money.
"After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. 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.' 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.' 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.' 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.' 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; so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.' 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? Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return? Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten. 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. And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.'"
Thy help, O Lord our God, make us always glad in your service, for only in dedication to you, the source of all good, may we have full and lasting happiness O Father, who entrusts to our hands the wonders of creation and the gifts of grace, make us industrious and vigilant servants, that we may make our talents fruitful to enter into the joy of Your kingdom. Through our Lord Jesus Christ.
ANGELUS 15 November 2020 Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning!
On this penultimate Sunday of the liturgical year, the Gospel presents us the well-known Parable of the Talents (cf. Mt 25:14-30). It is part of Jesus’ discourse on the end times, which immediately precedes his passion, death and resurrection. The parable describes a rich gentleman who has to go away and, foreseeing a long absence, entrusts his property to three of his servants: to the first he entrusts five talents; to the second, two; to the third, one. Jesus specifies that the distribution is made “to each according to his ability” (v. 15). The Lord does so with all of us: he knows us well; he knows we are not all the same and does not wish to favour anyone to the detriment of the others, but entrusts an amount to each according to his or her abilities.
During the master’s absence, the first two servants are very busy, to the point of doubling the amount entrusted to them. It is not so with the third servant, who hides the talent in a hole: to avoid risks, he leaves it there, safe from thieves, but without making it bear fruit. The moment comes for the return of the master, who calls the servants to settle accounts. The first two present the good fruit of their efforts; they have worked and the master praises them, compensates them and invites them to partake in his feast, in his joy. The third, however, realizing he is at fault, immediately begins to justify himself, saying: “Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not winnow; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours” (vv. 24-25). He defends his laziness by accusing his master of being “hard”. This is a habit that we have too: we defend ourselves, many times, by accusing others. But they are not at fault: the fault is ours; the flaw is ours. And this servant accuses others; he accuses the master in order to justify himself. We too, many times, do the same. So the master rebukes him: he calls the servant “wicked and slothful” (v. 26); he has the talent taken from him and has him cast out of his house.
This parable applies to everyone but, as always, to Christians in particular. Today too, it is very topical: today is the Day of the Poor, in which the Church tells us Christians: “Stretch forth your hand to the poor. Hold out your hand to the poor. You are not alone in life: there are people who need you. Do not be selfish; hold out a hand to the poor”. We have all received from God a “patrimony” as human beings, a human richness, whatever it may be. And as disciples of Christ we have also received the faith, the Gospel, the Holy Spirit, the Sacraments, and so many other things. These gifts should be used to do good, to do good in this life, in service to God and to our brothers and sisters. And today the Church tells you, she tells us: “Use what God has given you and look at the poor. Look: there are so many of them; even in our cities, in the centre of our city, there are many. Do good!”.
At times, we think that to be Christian means not to do harm. And not doing harm is good. But not doing good is not good. We must do good, come out of ourselves and look, look at those who are more in need. There is so much hunger, even in the heart of our cities; and many times we enter into that logic of indifference: the poor person is there, and we look the other way. Hold out your hand to the poor person: it is Christ. Some say: “But these priests, these bishops who talk about the poor, the poor... We want them to talk to us about eternal life!”. Look, brother and sister, the poor are at the heart of the Gospel; it is Jesus who taught us to speak to the poor; it is Jesus who came for the poor. Hold out your hand to the poor. You have received many things, and you let your brother, your sister die of hunger?
--->Dear brothers and sisters, may each one say in his or her heart what Jesus tells us today; repeat in your heart: “Hold out your hand to the poor”. And Jesus tells us something else: “You know, I am the poor. I am the poor”.
The Virgin Mary received a great gift: Jesus himself, but she did not keep him to herself; she gave him to the world, to his people. Let us learn from her to reach out a hand to the poor.
BENEDICT XVI ...Dear brothers and sisters, let us accept the invitation to be watchful, of which the Scriptures frequently remind us! This is the attitude of those who know that the Lord will return and that he will wish to see the fruits of his love in us. Charity is the fundamental good that no one can fail to bring to fruition and without which every other good is worthless (1 Cor 13:3). If Jesus loved us to the point of giving his life for us (1 Jn 3:16), how can we not love God with the whole of ourselves and love one another with real warmth? ( 1 Jn 4:11). It is only by practising charity that we too will be able to share in the joy of Our Lord. May the Virgin Mary teach us active and joyful watchfulness on our journey towards the encounter with God.(13-IX-2011)
FAUSTI - This parable is dear to the ethics of capitalism. Talents are to be made fruitful, abundance is a sign of divine blessing, destitution is a curse! In reality, talents are not gifts or goods to be multiplied: instead, they represent the oil of the previous parable (of the ten virgins), which is love for the poor. Talent is the love that the Father has for me, which must "duplicate" in my loving response to my brothers and sisters. Responding to this love, makes me what I am: a son equal to the Father. "Like a man who emigrated to a faraway land," the Lord, after living with us, ended up on the cross, the farthest point from God. There He made Himself near every distance and suffering. Going away, He did not abandon us, but He left us His Spirit, because we, loving, realize our identity. He Himself remains always with us, under His sign. He went to live among the poor, and what we do for them, we do it for Him. If talent is the gift of love received, our love for Him in the poor is the talent that we are called to earn. This is the invitation that Jesus gave the young rich man for inheriting eternal life (19:6-30). Everyone is called to invest his gift. Not who has or gives more is realized, but simply who gives himself. It is not the quantity that counts, but the fact that everything is a gift, to which one responds by giving everything. Those who put their gift underground, for fear of losing it, move away from themselves and others. Our vigilance is wise and industrious, not inert. He who does not invest his talent, loses it. The cause of failure is the false image we have of the Lord. If we consider Him naughty and exigent, our relationship with Him is not one of love, but legalistic, fearful and sterile. The parable is structured in three phases. One past, in which we have received the gift, one present, in which we must make it fruitful, and one future, in which we will be asked to answer for what we have now done of it. The future judgment is not made by God. We do it here and now. He, in the end, will only read what we now write. Fidelity in daily things makes us earn our eternal dwelling place. Our little gestures of love towards our brothers and sisters make us become children. Love, with which we perform every action, is the oil, which makes us shine of the same light as the Father. The good servant is like the One Good. This is the great reward: His joy becomes ours! Even the servant who receives two talents, even though he has received less than half of the previous one, reduplicates his gift and receives the same infinite reward from the Lord. The servant who had received only one talent, if he had invested it in love, would have had the same reward as the other two. He has a false knowledge of the Lord. . This man seems just, because he gives back what is given to him. In reality, he sins gravely against the Lord and against himself: he rejects Him as love, and himself as a gift. His relationship with God is that of an bookkeeper, not that of a son. The Lord has sown love everywhere, which germinates love. One always reaps much more than one sows, otherwise it is useless to sow. Others respond to love with as much love and obtain the fullness of God's joy. The one who buries his life underground represents those who think they must give it back. Capital is not to be returned or jealously preserved, but to be invested in some way. Even if one has many blocks, one can always do something, for example give the bankers - they are the poor in the following paragraph, to get at least an interest.
Reading 1
RispondiEliminaPrv 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31
When one finds a worthy wife,
her value is far beyond pearls.
Her husband, entrusting his heart to her,
has an unfailing prize.
She brings him good, and not evil,
all the days of her life.
She obtains wool and flax
and works with loving hands.
She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her fingers ply the spindle.
She reaches out her hands to the poor,
and extends her arms to the needy.
Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting;
the woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Give her a reward for her labors,
and let her works praise her at the city gates.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Blessed are you who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favored.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
in the recesses of your home;
Your children like olive plants
around your table.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Reading 2
1 Thes 5:1-6
Concerning times and seasons, brothers and sisters,
you have no need for anything to be written to you.
For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come
like a thief at night.
When people are saying, "Peace and security, "
then sudden disaster comes upon them,
like labor pains upon a pregnant woman,
and they will not escape.
But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness,
for that day to overtake you like a thief.
For all of you are children of the light
and children of the day.
We are not of the night or of darkness.
Therefore, let us not sleep as the rest do,
but let us stay alert and sober.
Alleluia
Jn 15:4a, 5b
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Remain in me as I remain in you, says the Lord.
Whoever remains in me bears much fruit.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Mt 25:14-30
Jesus told his disciples this parable:
"A man going on a journey
called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them.
To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one--
to each according to his ability.
Then he went away.
Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them,
and made another five.
Likewise, the one who received two made another two.
But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground
and buried his master's money.
"After a long time
the master of those servants came back
and settled accounts with them.
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.'
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.'
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.'
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.'
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;
so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground.
Here it is back.'
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?
Should you not then have put my money in the bank
so that I could have got it back with interest on my return?
Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten.
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.
And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.'"
Thy help, O Lord our God,
Eliminamake us always glad in your service,
for only in dedication to you, the source of all good,
may we have full and lasting happiness
O Father, who entrusts to our hands
the wonders of creation and the gifts of grace,
make us industrious and vigilant servants,
that we may make our talents fruitful
to enter into the joy of Your kingdom.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ.
POPE FRANCIS
RispondiEliminaANGELUS 15 November 2020
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning!
On this penultimate Sunday of the liturgical year, the Gospel presents us the well-known Parable of the Talents (cf. Mt 25:14-30). It is part of Jesus’ discourse on the end times, which immediately precedes his passion, death and resurrection. The parable describes a rich gentleman who has to go away and, foreseeing a long absence, entrusts his property to three of his servants: to the first he entrusts five talents; to the second, two; to the third, one. Jesus specifies that the distribution is made “to each according to his ability” (v. 15). The Lord does so with all of us: he knows us well; he knows we are not all the same and does not wish to favour anyone to the detriment of the others, but entrusts an amount to each according to his or her abilities.
During the master’s absence, the first two servants are very busy, to the point of doubling the amount entrusted to them. It is not so with the third servant, who hides the talent in a hole: to avoid risks, he leaves it there, safe from thieves, but without making it bear fruit. The moment comes for the return of the master, who calls the servants to settle accounts. The first two present the good fruit of their efforts; they have worked and the master praises them, compensates them and invites them to partake in his feast, in his joy. The third, however, realizing he is at fault, immediately begins to justify himself, saying: “Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not winnow; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours” (vv. 24-25). He defends his laziness by accusing his master of being “hard”. This is a habit that we have too: we defend ourselves, many times, by accusing others. But they are not at fault: the fault is ours; the flaw is ours. And this servant accuses others; he accuses the master in order to justify himself. We too, many times, do the same. So the master rebukes him: he calls the servant “wicked and slothful” (v. 26); he has the talent taken from him and has him cast out of his house.
This parable applies to everyone but, as always, to Christians in particular. Today too, it is very topical: today is the Day of the Poor, in which the Church tells us Christians: “Stretch forth your hand to the poor. Hold out your hand to the poor. You are not alone in life: there are people who need you. Do not be selfish; hold out a hand to the poor”. We have all received from God a “patrimony” as human beings, a human richness, whatever it may be. And as disciples of Christ we have also received the faith, the Gospel, the Holy Spirit, the Sacraments, and so many other things. These gifts should be used to do good, to do good in this life, in service to God and to our brothers and sisters. And today the Church tells you, she tells us: “Use what God has given you and look at the poor. Look: there are so many of them; even in our cities, in the centre of our city, there are many. Do good!”.
At times, we think that to be Christian means not to do harm. And not doing harm is good. But not doing good is not good. We must do good, come out of ourselves and look, look at those who are more in need. There is so much hunger, even in the heart of our cities; and many times we enter into that logic of indifference: the poor person is there, and we look the other way. Hold out your hand to the poor person: it is Christ. Some say: “But these priests, these bishops who talk about the poor, the poor... We want them to talk to us about eternal life!”. Look, brother and sister, the poor are at the heart of the Gospel; it is Jesus who taught us to speak to the poor; it is Jesus who came for the poor. Hold out your hand to the poor. You have received many things, and you let your brother, your sister die of hunger?
--->Dear brothers and sisters, may each one say in his or her heart what Jesus tells us today; repeat in your heart: “Hold out your hand to the poor”. And Jesus tells us something else: “You know, I am the poor. I am the poor”.
RispondiEliminaThe Virgin Mary received a great gift: Jesus himself, but she did not keep him to herself; she gave him to the world, to his people. Let us learn from her to reach out a hand to the poor.
BENEDICT XVI
RispondiElimina...Dear brothers and sisters, let us accept the invitation to be watchful, of which the Scriptures frequently remind us! This is the attitude of those who know that the Lord will return and that he will wish to see the fruits of his love in us. Charity is the fundamental good that no one can fail to bring to fruition and without which every other good is worthless (1 Cor 13:3). If Jesus loved us to the point of giving his life for us (1 Jn 3:16), how can we not love God with the whole of ourselves and love one another with real warmth? ( 1 Jn 4:11). It is only by practising charity that we too will be able to share in the joy of Our Lord. May the Virgin Mary teach us active and joyful watchfulness on our journey towards the encounter with God.(13-IX-2011)
FAUSTI - This parable is dear to the ethics of capitalism. Talents are to be made fruitful, abundance is a sign of divine blessing, destitution is a curse!
RispondiEliminaIn reality, talents are not gifts or goods to be multiplied: instead, they represent the oil of the previous parable (of the ten virgins), which is love for the poor.
Talent is the love that the Father has for me, which must "duplicate" in my loving response to my brothers and sisters.
Responding to this love, makes me what I am: a son equal to the Father.
"Like a man who emigrated to a faraway land," the Lord, after living with us, ended up on the cross, the farthest point from God.
There He made Himself near every distance and suffering. Going away, He did not abandon us, but He left us His Spirit, because we, loving, realize our identity.
He Himself remains always with us, under His sign.
He went to live among the poor, and what we do for them, we do it for Him.
If talent is the gift of love received, our love for Him in the poor is the talent that we are called to earn. This is the invitation that Jesus gave the young rich man for inheriting eternal life (19:6-30).
Everyone is called to invest his gift.
Not who has or gives more is realized, but simply who gives himself. It is not the quantity that counts, but the fact that everything is a gift, to which one responds by giving everything.
Those who put their gift underground, for fear of losing it, move away from themselves and others.
Our vigilance is wise and industrious, not inert. He who does not invest his talent, loses it.
The cause of failure is the false image we have of the Lord. If we consider Him naughty and exigent, our relationship with Him is not one of love, but legalistic, fearful and sterile.
The parable is structured in three phases. One past, in which we have received the gift, one present, in which we must make it fruitful, and one future, in which we will be asked to answer for what we have now done of it.
The future judgment is not made by God.
We do it here and now.
He, in the end, will only read what we now write.
Fidelity in daily things makes us earn our eternal dwelling place. Our little gestures of love towards our brothers and sisters make us become children. Love, with which we perform every action, is the oil, which makes us shine of the same light as the Father.
The good servant is like the One Good.
This is the great reward: His joy becomes ours!
Even the servant who receives two talents, even though he has received less than half of the previous one, reduplicates his gift and receives the same infinite reward from the Lord.
The servant who had received only one talent, if he had invested it in love, would have had the same reward as the other two.
He has a false knowledge of the Lord. . This man seems just, because he gives back what is given to him.
In reality, he sins gravely against the Lord and against himself: he rejects Him as love, and himself as a gift.
His relationship with God is that of an bookkeeper, not that of a son.
The Lord has sown love everywhere, which germinates love.
One always reaps much more than one sows, otherwise it is useless to sow.
Others respond to love with as much love and obtain the fullness of God's joy.
The one who buries his life underground represents those who think they must give it back.
Capital is not to be returned or jealously preserved, but to be invested in some way.
Even if one has many blocks, one can always do something, for example give the bankers - they are the poor in the following paragraph, to get at least an interest.