Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today's Mass Readings

There are certain civilizing aspects of life, like marriage and raising children. When you are answerable to and responsible for others, your behavior changes too—less reckless, more consistent and selfless. I know that working in our seminary with impressionable candidates for priesthood looking up to me as a model encourages me to be a better priest. Naturally, we get what Jesus means when He states, “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be entrusted of the one entrusted with more.”

Yet the trend in our society is to not commit to these civilizing vocations. Furthermore, when the Lord says judgment awaits all of us in proportion to what we accept, our culture would respond: Then why bother? If more is expected of those with more given, I would fair far better at the judgment if I did not engage in religion, develop virtue, or try hard at all.

This is a simplistic and faulty response. The Lord says in the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) that each is given a treasure by God to increase according to his ability: ten, five, and one in proportion. The servant given one talent buries his and returns it as is; only he, who did not bother to increase his master’s treasure, was thrown into darkness. Doing nothing is not an option because God does not make us wastes, and He cannot allow us to squander the goodness in which He created us.

All of this seems like being motivated by fear. This is not the case. Recently I was praying before the Blessed Sacrament, and for some mysterious reason, the Pink Floyd song “Wish You Were Here” came to mind. In particular, the line: “Did you exchange a walk-on part in the war for a lead role in a cage?” Immediately, I knew what the Lord was telling me: Do not wait for the extraordinary experiences or the opportunities to be extraordinary; rather, be consistent and humble. What God wants is not fear but humility. We have been given sometimes quite a lot, but ultimately, it is a trifle compared to what God has prepared for us. We accept His treasure as an honor and a responsibility, knowing that these unremarkable trifles will give us meaning and fulfill His will.

Reflection Question: Am I satisfied to stay where I am spiritually (e.g., routines and formulas, “good enough” mentality) instead of striving for greater holiness? What behaviors could I change to move past this minimalism?

Reflection by Fr. Pachomius Meade, OSB