Word to the Wise
Saturday, August 31, 2019 - Saturday in the 21th Week in Ordinary Time
[1 Thess 4:9-11 and Matt 25:14-30]"Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and fathering where you did not scatter; so our of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back." [Matthew]
Jesus' parables about the end of time are pretty tough. The bridesmaids in yesterday's parable who failed to think ahead and prepare for an uncertain groom are left out. In today's parable about the "talents" the servant who failed to show initiative in preparing for the return of the Master is fired. (The "talent" was a unit of weight in silver and even one talent was a lot of money.) He gives as his reason his fear of the Master. The ironic thing is that he could have completely avoided trouble by forgetting his fear and finding a way to help his Master.
The two parables point out to us the values of wisdom and courage in discipleship. The wise bridesmaids and the courageous servants acted with a goal in mind, to be prepared for an uncertain event in time. In today's parable, fear of making a mistake proves to be fatal. In my pastoral experience, I have met people whose lives were shaped by fear of making a mistake. Sometimes this was because of their upbringing - parents and other authoritarian figures - that taught them fear instead of love as the primary formative influence in their lives. Discipleship is a summons to overcome fear of God and neighbor so that love of God and neighbor will motivate us to live in a manner that makes us always prepared for the Master's return. AMEN