Word to the Wise
Wednesday, November 18, 2015 - Wednesday in the 33th Week in Ordinary Time
[2 Macc 7:1, 20-31 and Luke 19:11-28]"'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.'" [Luke]
The gospels are not mere recitations of facts about Jesus They are a form of preaching of Jesus' message. The Gospel of Luke includes the Acts of the Apostles, which clearly indicates the necessity to be Spirit-filled courageous preachers of Jesus' message. The temptation in times of persecution is to "hunker-down" and concentrate on maintaining and refining one's faith. The parable in today's passage from the Gospel of Luke rejects that approach. The focus should be on "mission" and not "maintenance."
The tragic figure is the third servant who is too frightened of the Master to risk anything. He stores away the coin. When the master returns, judgment is swift. The two servants who too the risks and produced results are rewarded, the timid servant loses his opportunity.
Every organization reaches a point where they have to ask themselves whether they are more interested in maintaining what they have or reaching out to include new opportunities. When it is a question of the Church, we have a mandate to preach to the whole world. When there is excessive emphasis on maintaining traditions and expressions at the cost of preaching the message of Jesus, we are in the position of that third servant. Pope Francis, in his "agenda-setting" document, "The Joy of the Gospel," challenges all the baptized to be "missionary disciples." We can all ask ourselves, "What did I do today that would communicate the message of Jesus?" This is not just a pious question, it is a challenge springing directly from Jesus' preaching, especially in the parable we read today. AMEN
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