ordinary time The Sánchez Archives

THIRTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Year A

By
Patricia Datchuck Sánchez

What If You Knew?

PROVERBS 31:10-13, 14-20, 30-31
1 THESSALONIANS 5:1-6
MATTHEW 25:14-30

Another liturgical year is ebbing away, leaving behind on the ever-shifting sands of our daily lives thoughts about the END. Paul, in his letter to the Christians of Thessalonica (second reading), assures his readers that worry and anxiety are exercises in futility while reminding us yet again that no one knows the specific time or moment when this world will be utterly transformed by Jesus’ second coming.

Contemporary believers are, of course, aware that the end time will indeed come, but the fact that the eschatological climax has been so long delayed may cause some to be lulled into an attitude of passivity. Some may even be tempted to resort to procrastination, putting off until tomorrow (. . . or next week . . . or next year . . . or until retirement when I’ll have more time. . .) what should be done today, in order to be fully prepared to recognize and receive the Lord.

Aware of the pitfalls which plague the human psyche, the church in its wisdom has seen fit to issue its annual invitation to believers to focus their attention on the last things. Perhaps, as we attend to this annual invitation, it would be beneficial to engage in a bit of speculation. . .

What if it were somehow possible to know the exact time and place of the END?. . . Or. . . more particularly, what if it were somehow possible to know the precise time and place of your own personal ending, i.e. your death? With death comes the ultimate encounter with the risen Jesus; integral to that encounter will be a reckoning during which each of us will be held accountable for who we are, and for what we have done or not done during with the gifts and blessings afforded us. If such information were available, what impact would it have on your present existence? If you knew, without a doubt, that you had exactly two weeks to live before traversing death’s passage, what would you do?

Would you take the vacation to the Grand Canyon you have been promising your family for years? Would you get tickets for the Three Tenors concert you’ve been longing to attend but have been reluctant to splurge on? Would you make the rounds of family and friends for one last visit? Would you make amends with a friend, brother, sister, great aunt or parent from whom you have been estranged? Would you take out a huge insurance policy on your life in order to secure the financial future of your loved ones? Would you make more of an effort at daily prayer? Would you seek out the guidance of a spiritual counselor or the peace of sacramental reconciliation? Would you make a large donation to a needy charity? Would you look differently at the faces sitting around the dinner table tonight? Would flowers smell sweeter? Would the sun feel warmer? Would the sky look more blue? . . . In other words, would you make radical changes in the way you are thinking and living, or would the knowledge of imminent death simply mean that you would go on living, as you have been, until that moment arrives?

By way of advice in this regard, the church puts before us today, four models, viz. the woman in the first reading from Proverbs, and the three servants in the Matthean gospel parable. If called to give an account of herself, it would appear that the woman of worth had indeed developed her talents and made the most of her blessings. The quality of her day to day existence was such that those with whom she lived (husband, family) and those with whom she came into contact (the poor, needy, etc.) benefited. Two of the servants in the gospel also did their best with the time and opportunities allotted to them. Each used his abilities in such a way as to be able to render an admirable account of his daily activities. But the third servant allowed both opportunity and talents to lie fallow; as a result of his cowardice and procrastination, he was reckoned as worthless, lazy and undeserving of any share in his master’s joy.

Today, these four models remind believers (in both a positive and negative sense) of the importance of living each day to the fullest, developing and using our abilities in complete correspondence with the daily gift of grace, so as to be prepared for the inevitable, but unpredictable day of the Lord.

PROVERBS 31:10-13, 14-20, 30-31

At their Third General Conference In Puebla, Mexico, in 1979, the Latin American Bishops examined the role of women in the world and in the church. “The task of ruling the world, of continuing the work of creation is a woman’s task as much as a man’s. . . With their characteristic aptitudes women should make a real contribution to the Church’s mission, participating in organizations for pastoral planning, pastoral coordination and catechesis. . . Our peoples’ aspirations for liberation include the human advancement of women as an authentic sign of the times.” While the woman of worth featured in this excerpted pericope from Proverbs may not have been advanced in her patriarchal society as equal to her husband in the task of continuing the work of creation or of being a partner in pastoral ministry, she is nevertheless the embodiment of wisdom.

The book of Proverbs is a collection of sayings and poems, some of which date from the period of the monarchy (ca. tenth or ninth century B.C.E.) while others give indication of a later time (ca. sixth or fifth century B.C.E.). Although Solomon is credited with the authorship of Proverbs, the book probably represents the thoughts of a variety of Israel’s sages and teachers; this treasury of wit and wisdom was gathered together in a loosely constructed guide intended to teach its readers, particularly the young, how to live rightly and, of course, wisely.

Proverbs begins with a combination of promises and warnings wherein personified Wisdom promises wealth, happiness, honor and posterity to those who would follow her teachings (1:1-14) and issues warnings to those foolish enough to ignore her sage guidance (1:15-33). At the very conclusion of the book, this portrait of the woman of worth represents a person who has heeded Wisdom’s warnings and as a result has reaped the abundance of her promises.

A poem written in acrostic style, in which each line begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, this description of a woman of worth is more artistic than logical in its structure. As Thomas Mc.Creesh (“Proverbs”, The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs: 1990) has noted, this portrait completes the feminine imagery found throughout the book, possibly forming an interpretive framework for the whole. The wife is an everyday, practical and domestic counterpart to the exalted, didactic and public figure of wisdom presented in chapters 1-9. The woman of worth is an excellent model of the figure of Wisdom, settled in her home, welcoming and attending graciously and generously to those who have accepted her invitation.

Significantly, the tasks performed by the woman of worth are not extraordinary ones but ones that she performs extraordinarily well. She is industrious, and skillful; she is strong, persevering and generous. As she goes about the everyday duties of her household, she brings to her husband and children a treasure which is far beyond pearls (vs. 10). In her commentary on this text, Carole R. Fontaine (“Proverbs”, The Women’s Bible Commentary, Westminster/John Knox Press, Louisville: 1992) explains, “Wisdom values personal experience as the starting place for doing theology. . . the wisdom tradition’s emphasis on the world of daily life offers a basis for valuing women’s experience as an authentic revelatory way of knowing and being.”

Does the woman of worth offer any lesson to contemporary believers, who, at this juncture of the liturgical year, are considering the endtime? Perhaps the wisdom she imparts rests on the assurance that God can be known, loved and served in the most routine and even banal activities of everyday living. By virtue of God’s extraordinary love for humankind, even the ordinary becomes a venue for a daily divine encounter. Those who learn to recognize and attend the divine presence in the midst of the mundane will possess the wisdom recognize God’s ultimate appearance in Jesus, however and whenever he comes again.

1 THESSALONIANS 5:1-6

Paul’s references to Jesus’ second coming as the “day of the Lord” (vs. 2) are best understood against the backdrop of the Hebrew scriptures. Initially, the Day of the Lord was regarded as a time when God would champion the cause of Israel over and above its enemies (see Amos 1:3-2:3, Nahum). But when Israel’s covenantal fidelity deteriorated into idol worship, insincere temple liturgies and social injustice, the prophets, beginning with Amos (5:18-20), demythologized the once paradisiacal concept of the Day of the Lord. Rather than being an era of light, reward and victory, the Day of the Lord was thereafter featured as a time of darkness, retribution and defeat (Amos 7:1-8:3, Jeremiah 30:1, Malachi 4:1, Zephaniah 1:14-16, Joel 2:31).

In Isaiah, the concept of the great Day was extended beyond Israel to include the universal triumph of God over all that is proud and arrogant (Isaiah 2:12-19). With the sixth century B.C.E. exile and fading of the monarchy, the notion of the day took an eschatological overtones and was equated with a sudden and unexpected moment of reckoning wherein the wicked would be punished and the righteous rewarded (Daniel 11:40-12:3).

Early Christian writers identified the Day of the Lord with the second advent of Jesus; that day would come suddenly and inescapably, bringing with it unrelenting judgment for those whom it would find unprepared.

Paul, in his continuing attempt to allay the endtime fears and anxieties of the Thessalonians (see last week’s second reading) encourages his readers that even if they do not know specific times and moments regarding the day of the Lord (vs. 1), they are not without hope. Notice the fact that while Paul retains the future sense of the day of the Lord (Jesus second coming) he also understands the day as a present and evolving experience. Salvation is a process already begun through the saving words and works of Jesus.

You are not in the dark (vs. 4) reminds Paul. Therefore believers should not be mollified by false promises of peace and security (vs. 3). As Crag S. Keener (The Intervarsity Press Bible Background Commentary, Intervarity Press, Donners Grove, Illinois: 1993) has explained, the Thessalonians were well aware that the imposed peace and security (or pax Romana) under which they lived could be quickly shattered by one false step. Rome was quick to squelch any sign of civil unrest and impose the burden of its enforced peace with even greater might. Just as they were careful politically, so also were the Thessalonians to be cautious in a spiritual sense. The only true peace and security would come from living each day, faithful to the commitment they had made to Christ at baptism.

Through baptism into Christ Jesus who is the light of the world, believers are privileged to be sharers in the light. It is significant that the sacrament of baptism was described by early Christians as an enlightenment or illumination. Having been led out of the darkness of sin and death into the light of redemption and life, believers must continue to live in such a way as to bring light and be light for others.

MATTHEW 25:14-30

In the gospel for last Sunday’s liturgy, the parable of the wise and foolish virgins underscored the importance of preparedness as regards the future advent of Jesus. As you will recall, the bridegroom in the parable was delayed in coming. All who awaited him fell asleep; when he finally arrived, the lack of preparation on the part of the foolish bridesmaids was revealed. With no time left to ready themselves, they were not admitted to the wedding feast. The lesson for Christians was to live, whether awake or asleep, at work or at play, in a constant state of readiness.

Today’s gospel also hinges upon an indeterminate period of waiting. As Matthew explained, “after a long absence” (vs. 19), the master eventually returned to settle accounts with his servants. In this parable, and through the behavior of the three servants, believers continue to be taught how to worthily live and wait so as to be ready to encounter Jesus when the end comes, whether that end be the personal ending which is death or the climactic end of this world as we know it.

Just as Jesus entrusted the ministry of the gospel to his followers in the interim between his two appearances, so the wealthy businessman featured in this parable expected that his servants would administer his affairs while he was away. Notice that the servants were given shares of their master’s capital appropriate to their abilities (vs. 15).

Originally, the talent was not a coin but a certain weight of precious metal, usually gold or silver; here however, it appears to represent a form of currency, the largest single unit of currency in the Hellenistic world. John P. Meier (Matthew, Michael Glazier Inc., Wilmington: 1983) explains that in the New Testament “the term talent means only money; its metaphorical meaning (one’s native ability) developed later, precisely because of this parable.”

Each of the servants utilized the talents allotted him; the first doubled the five thousand given him by the master. The second, likewise, used his skills at investing and commerce to double the two thousand which had been disbursed to him. No doubt, each of these two servants was required to exercise considerable shrewdness and expose their capital to a certain degree of risk in order to reap such a profit. The third servant, showing no imagination or industry, took the path of least resistance, avoided the investment market altogether, and buried the money. This practice was common in the ancient world, particularly in countries like Palestine, whose banks and businesses were prey to an often greedy and unprincipled occupying force, viz. the Roman empire. However, inactivity and cowardice were not what the master expected of his servants.

When the master returned and asked for an accounting from his servants, the first two were praised and rewarded with even greater responsibilities and a share of their master’s joy. Some scholars suggest that this sharing of joy may have implied that the servants would be welcomed to the intimacy of table-fellowship with their employer. Certainly this idea is in accord with the eschatological overtones of the parable; the kingdom’s reward was often likened to a great banquet.

Some readers may be surprised that both servants received the same reward. Given the fierce competitiveness of contemporary society it may seem that the servant who generated the larger profit should be compensated for it. “The fact that both servants receive the same reward shows that what is valued is not one’s accomplishments in a quantitative sense but the fidelity of one’s commitment, as mirrored in one’s whole-hearted activity” (John P. Meier, op. cit.).

The third servant’s lack of initiative resulted in the loss of his master’s respect as well as his job. He had done nothing to enhance or to increase what had been entrusted to him. At its basic level of development (during Jesus’ ministry) this parable’s worthless servant may have represented the unyielding resistance to change of those Sadducees who prided themselves in keeping the law verbatim, adding nothing, altering nothing, adapting nothing. In their own words, they were proud “to build a fence around the law.”

In its later stages of development the parable appealed to believers not to waste or to bury their gifts and talents but to remember the sometimes harsh demands of discipleship (“I knew you were a hard man”, vs. 24) and to risk whatever is necessary in order to meet them. The servant who buried the money in the ground had, in effect, hidden his light under the bushel (Matthew 5:15). As a result, neither he nor anyone else reaped any benefit from his talents.

For contemporary believers, this parable serves as a reminder; each of us has been entrusted with a share in the ministry of Jesus, with natural talents and with grace. As we await his return, it is ours to risk what is necessary and to expend every effort in order to develop our gifts and put them at the service of the kingdom. If we squander our talents or allow fear and anxiety to squelch them, there will be no joyful banqueting, only bruxism (see vs. 30)!

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