33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time - November 15, 2020

On this last numbered Sunday in Ordinary Time, we continue to have these themes of the “End Times” in our scripture readings.  The “End Times” refers to the final events of history.  Both the Christian and Jewish faiths have a theology that the world will one day come to an end.  Although some people might promote a frightful, violent end to the world, this is not how we Catholics look at things.  The world is on a circular path - it began from God and is returning to God.  God is both the origin and the destination for all of creation.

Despite frightening images of the end of the world in popular movies and books, faithful Christians should expect it to be a happy time.  The return of Jesus and the resurrection of the dead will be the central event.  Death and suffering will come to an end.  It will be a time of great joy - joy for Jesus and joy for all of Jesus’ faithful disciples.

As we are encouraged to prepare for the End Time, it might be helpful for each of us to reflect on our own personal image of God.  If you were to write down on a piece of paper in one or two words your personal image of God, what would you write?  You might write that God is a father.  Or maybe a shepherd.  Maybe a picture of Jesus comes to mind.  Perhaps a non-human image like a dove might represent God for you.  Or maybe you might recall some images from our culture, from t.v. or a cartoon.  Maybe God is an old man with a white beard sitting on a cloud.   

Once you’ve got one or two images of God, now try to figure out how your dominant image of God was formed.  Often, the image is literally an image you’ve seen somewhere else.  Maybe it came from a picture of Jesus you saw hanging in a grandparent’s home.  Maybe it’s the image of Jesus on the cross above the altar that you see every Sunday.

Many of our images of God are male-oriented.  But can you think of any feminine images of God?  For us Catholics, the Blessed Mother Mary represents many of the feminine aspects of God.  But there are other feminine images.  On the altars of older churches, you might see the image of a mother bird, such as a pelican, sheltering and protecting and feeding her little ones.  Our first reading today has a number of  feminine aspects of God in the form of Wisdom.

If we can do this little exercise, it might help us make a connection between our personal understanding of God, and how we each respond to God in our lives.  And maybe it will help us continue growing in relation to God until that day when we are called home to God.

In today’s Gospel we have a man of some stature departing for a journey who entrusts his possessions to servants.  Two very clever servants use a portion of those possessions to obtain more for their master.  The third one, however, made the bad decision to store the possessions entrusted to him.  We might sympathize with that third servant, because saving one’s money is a praiseworthy thing.  But, it’s clear that the master didn’t want his money saved; he wanted it invested.  Many who have retirement funds know the difference between saving and investing.  Investing requires risk.

All three servants were hard-working and God-fearing.  All three appreciated the value of the master’s possessions.  However, two took good risks with the possessions entrusted to them.  The other was unwilling to take a risk because he feared his master.  

The motivation of all three servants is highlighted by today’s Psalm:  “Blessed are those who fear the Lord.”  Biblical “fear of the Lord” can take on many meanings.  Someone with a healthy fear of the Lord would be a person like the one Saint Paul describes in his letter to the Thessalonians.  Such a person is a child of the light who anticipates the return of the Master by working diligently for the Master’s arrival.  Such a person knows that they have been entrusted with gifts of the Master that they invest in the world and make a return to the Lord.

A person with an unhealthy fear hides in the darkness.  They live their lives recklessly because they fear the Lord, and they figure that they better enjoy this life while they have it because, for them, there’s nothing more.  Such people take the Master’s gifts and bury them, and in turn abuse the world and make it worse off than when they started. 

It’s obvious from this story that we are called to be like the servants who have a healthy fear of the Lord, who work diligently to bring to life the future Kingdom of Heaven amidst the present age.  There may be setbacks and failures, but we remain children of the light and we are assured that we are making a good investment of the Lord’s gifts in our own lives.  

Summoning forward a clear personal image, or images, of God can help us acquire and renew a healthy “fear of God” within us; an awe that inspires us to double God’s gifts and even to discover new gifts we thought we didn’t have.  It can also help us turn away from feelings that our lives have failed, wrong ideas that prompt us to question whether God really loves us, and feelings of fear that God will punish us in the future.  That kind of fear pushes us into darkness and prompts us to hide our gifts and doubt the value of our lives.  

As we bring to life the image of God in our own person and our personal interaction with others, we help others draw closer to God.  This is how we “evangelize” - how we share the Gospel, the truly Good News that Jesus Christ has died, Jesus Christ is risen, and Jesus Christ will come again.  And on that joyful day, we will hear our master’s voice saying: “Well done, good and faithful servant!  Come and share your master’s joy!”