21st Saturday in Ordinary Time
I Thessalonians 4: 9 – 11; Ps 98; Matthew 25: 14 – 30
Jesus’ parables, whatever the content or details, always proclaim something of the Kingdom and the Kingdom is always about relationship – the relationship of God with people, in particular, with us who are His through Baptism.
“A man going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them.” It is not a matter of just giving or a simple presenting, rather the verb is “entrust.” It seems to me that the choice of the verb carries with it a nuance of great solemnity, of deep seriousness – something much more than just giving. This action of God entrusting something runs all through the Sacred Scriptures.
God creates the world and then entrusts it all to Adam and Eve and their descendants: “Have dominion” over all this – a tremendous act of providence.
The Lord Jesus Himself experiences the Father’s act of entrusting; He tells us: “I can say what I hear the Father saying…I can only do what I see the Father doing” – a union of love in the Holy Spirit beyond words.
God through the angel Gabriel calls a virgin, Mary of Nazareth, to be the mother of His Son – and through her “yes” He entrusts His beloved Son to her care – an incomprehensible act of mercy for the sake of our salvation.
A fisherman, Simon Peter, hears the Lord: “You are Peter and upon this rock I will build My Church.” He entrusts to this man, who fell in betrayal and rose in repentance, the guidance of His Body the Church – an act of Divine Wisdom so that we can walk in truth into Eternal Life.
God, in His mercy, has revealed Himself as the One-Who-Entrusts, whose act of giving is always extravagantly generous and always, for the good, the eternal good of His people, for our good. Here, in this Church, our God entrusts His very person to each of us – “Take and eat…Take and drink.”
God entrusts…now it is up to us, with very grateful hearts, to respond to such trust!
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