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command
Today’s readings make
it plain that God expects us to be productive for His Kingdom. We see that in
the Gospel and the Alleluia verse. The readings
also tell us that we sometimes have to face opposition, push back, from others
when we do that. We see that in the
first reading and the Gospel.
The good news is that
God gives us ways to deal with that opposition. Today’s readings illustrate
several of those ways:
1. Look to the good that will be on the other side of the present
difficulty. We see it in the Mother’s own attitude and her exhortation to her
son in the first reading; she tells him (and us) that there is hope and reward
on the other side of the injustice and pain they are experiencing. We see that
in the response to the Psalm. We also see it in the attitude of the servants in
the Gospel who went out and take care of their master’s business; they did so
in spite of their master’s unpopularity because they knew that they would be
rewarded. We see it throughout scripture. Psalm
37:10-11,29, 34, 37; Sirach
2:8-9; Isaiah
52:13. 15; 53:10-12; Romans
8:16-25, 28-30;
Colossians
3:1-4; Hebrews
12:2.
2. Talk to God in the midst of your difficulties, about your
difficulties and what you need. We see that in the psalm. We are instructed to
do that and see it modeled in multiple places in scripture. Matthew
26:36, 39, 41, 44, 46; Mark
14:32, 35, 39; 15:33; Luke
22:42, 43; 23:46; Acts
4:24-31; Romans
8:26-27; Ephesians
6: 18-20; James
1:5
3. We must control our emotions, particularly the emotion of fear.
That is what the mother in the first reading is trying to do. The psalmist is
“steadfast” and did “not falter.” The productive servants in the Gospel reading
had to overcome their fear of their contemporaries’ hostility and of their own
failure. In contrast, the unproductive servant was unproductive because he gave
into fear. See Joshua
1:6-7, 9; Judges
6:23, 27; 7:11-13; Psalm
37:1, 8; Sirach
2:6, 8; Isaiah
49:4-5; Matthew
26:38; Matthew
28:4-5, 8, 10; Mark
16:8; John
20:11-12, 15; Ephesians
6:16. Talking to God about this REALLY, REALLY, helps
4. Trust that God will eventually deal with those who are unjustly
opposing His kingdom. Psalm
37:2, 9-10, 14-15, 20, 34-36, 38.
It happened that seven brothers with their
mother were arrested and tortured with whips and scourges by the king, to force
them to eat pork in violation of God’s law.
Most admirable and worthy of everlasting
remembrance was the mother,
who saw her seven sons perish in a single
day, yet bore it courageously because of her hope in the Lord. Filled
with a noble spirit that stirred her womanly heart with manly courage, she
exhorted each of them in the language of their ancestors with these words: “I
do not know how you came into existence in my womb; it was not I who gave you
the breath of life, nor was it I who set in order the elements of which each of
you is composed. Therefore, since it is
the Creator of the universe who shapes each man’s beginning, as he brings about
the origin of everything, he, in his mercy, will give you back both breath and
life, because you now disregard yourselves for the sake of his law.”
Antiochus, suspecting insult in her words,
thought he was being ridiculed. As the youngest brother was still alive, the
king appealed to him, not with mere words, but with promises on oath, to make
him rich and happy if he would abandon his ancestral customs: he would make him
his Friend and entrust him with high office.
When the youth paid no attention to him at
all, the king appealed to the mother,
urging her to advise her boy to save his
life. After he had urged her for a long time, she went through the motions of
persuading her son. In derision of the cruel tyrant, she leaned over close to
her son and said in their native language:
“Son, have pity on me, who carried you in
my womb for nine months, nursed you for three years, brought you up, educated
and supported you to your present age. I
beg you, child, to look at the heavens and the earth and see all that is in
them; then you will know that God did not make them out of existing things; and
in the same way the human race came into existence. Do not be afraid of this executioner, but be worthy of your brothers
and accept death, so that in the time of mercy I may receive you again with
them.”
She had scarcely finished speaking when
the youth said: “What are you waiting for? I will not obey the king’s command.
I obey the command of the law given to our fathers through Moses. But you, who have contrived every kind of
affliction for the Hebrews, will not escape the hands of God.”
R. (15b) Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.
Hear, O
LORD, a just suit; attend to my outcry; hearken to my prayer
from lips without deceit.
R. Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.
My
steps have been steadfast in your paths, my feet have not faltered. I
call upon you, for you will answer me,
O God; incline your ear to me; hear my
word.
R. Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.
Keep me
as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings.
But I in justice shall behold your face;
on waking, I shall be content in your presence.
R. Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.
I chose
you from the world, to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord.
While people were listening to Jesus
speak, he proceeded to tell a parable because he was near Jerusalem and they
thought that the Kingdom of God
would appear there immediately. So he
said, “A nobleman went off to a distant country to obtain the kingship for
himself and then to return. He called ten of his servants and gave them ten
gold coins and told them, ‘Engage in
trade with these until I return.’ His
fellow citizens, however, despised him and sent a delegation after him to
announce, ‘We do not want this man to be our king.’
But when he returned after obtaining the
kingship, he had the servants called, to whom he had given the money, to learn
what they had gained by trading. The first came forward and said, ‘Sir, your
gold coin has earned ten additional ones.’
He replied, ‘Well done, good servant! You
have been faithful in this very small matter; take charge of ten cities.’
Then the second came and reported, ‘Your
gold coin, sir, has earned five more.’
And to this servant too he said, ‘You,
take charge of five cities.’
Then the other servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your gold coin; I kept it
stored away in a handkerchief, for I was afraid of you, because you are a
demanding man; you take up what you did not lay down and you harvest what you
did not plant.’
He said to him, ‘With your own words I
shall condemn you, you wicked servant. You knew I was a demanding man, taking
up what I did not lay down and harvesting what I did not plant; why did you not
put my money in a bank? Then on my return I would have collected it with
interest.’
And to those standing by he said, ‘Take
the gold coin from him and give it to the servant who has ten.’ But they said
to him, ‘Sir, he has ten gold coins.’ He replied, ‘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. Now as for those enemies of
mine who did not want me as their king, bring them here and slay them before
me.’”
After he had said this, he proceeded on
his journey up to Jerusalem.
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