The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today inspire contemplation of the practical ways in which we have been gifted to build the Kingdom.
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| Gifts for the Kingdom |
The text from 1 Thessalonians links mutual charity and working with our own hands.
USCCB 1 Thessalonians Mutual Charity1
In Psalm 98 people are summoned to welcome God’s coming to rule over the world.
* [Psalm 98] A hymn, similar to Ps 96, extolling God for Israel’s victory (Ps 98:1–3). All nations (Ps 98:4–6) and even inanimate nature (Ps 98:7–8) are summoned to welcome God’s coming to rule over the world (Ps 98:9)2.
In the Gospel from Matthew, Jesus presents The Parable of the Talents.
* [25:26–28] Wicked, lazy servant: this man’s inactivity is not negligible but seriously culpable. As punishment, he loses the gift he had received, that is now given to the first servant, whose possessions are already great.3
The USCCB Bible comments consider the phrase “There will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
There will be wailing and grinding of teeth: the first occurrence of a phrase used frequently in this gospel to describe final condemnation (Mt 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30). It is found elsewhere in the New Testament only in Lk 13:28.4
Matt Slick, President and Founder of the Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry has prepared a word study on “weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Finally, in each instance of the phrase weeping and gnashing of teeth," we see that the person is experiencing agony. This is important because, in annihilationist thought, the final judgment means a person doesn't exist anymore. Their idea of eternal punishment is eternal nonexistence. But the biblical pattern of punishment is to experience the punishment, not have it be eternal nonexistence as annihilationism would require.5
Susan Naatz comments that, like the master in the parable, God lavishes us with abilities, strengths, skills, knowledge and many other gifts/charisms and invites us to develop and use these precious capacities for others.
As James and Evelyn Whitehead write …charisms appear in individuals but they are given for the community. They are personal but not private gifts. Charisms appear among us…to empower our contribution to the group’s life. [1]. God invites, encourages and loves us to become all that we can be. Unlike the master in the parable, even when we are fearful, reticent or feeling inadequate God is there whispering to us through any means or any person who will help us hear the message. We may not know the fullness of the moment right away but when we look back, we will smile and say, “Aha, there you were, God.”6
Don Schwager quotes “Eternal Joys,” by Gregory the Great (540-604 AD).
"All the good deeds of our present life, however many they may appear to be, are few in comparison with our eternal recompense. The faithful servant is put in charge of many things after overcoming all the troubles brought him by perishable things. He glories in the eternal joys of his heavenly dwelling. He is brought completely into the joy of his master when he is taken into his eternal home and joined to the company of angels. His inner joy at his gift is such that there is no longer any external perishable thing that can cause him sorrow." (excerpt from FORTY GOSPEL HOMILIES 9.2)7
The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 Thessalonians 4:9-11 shares that we have been taught by God to love one another. (1 Thessalonians 4:9) and cites some real life opportunities to grow that love.
“Thank you for loving me just as I am... “ Lord, help me to love the people in my family... “Lord, help me to love my colleagues as well, those with whom I worship, study, or work… “Lord, help me not to turn aside from the people I encounter who seem so different from me... “Lord, there are so many people whom I will never meet. Many of them are in distressing situations. Show me how to pray for them. Show me some practical steps I can take to make the world a better place for them. Teach me how to see them as my brothers and sisters in you. Teach me to love as you love.”8
Friar Jude Winkler shares how the uplifting nature of paternal charity can be damaged in groups by gossip and establishment of cliques. Focus on the end times may tend to blunt our daily effort and produce lazy workers. Friar Jude reminds us that the parable today refers to faith that grows with practice and disappears if neglected.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that too many Christians think that God only started interacting with humans 6,000 years ago. That’s unthinkable to him! Creation has existed for billions of years. His Franciscan tradition says that creation was the first Bible. Everything we need to know about God was revealed in creation from the beginning: “For in Christ all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. Christ is before all things, and in Christ all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16-17). For today’s practice he invites us to meditate on our unfathomably vast, primordial, and complex cosmos.
Theologian Denis Edwards writes:
The concept of praxis . . . refers to our participation in the shaping of the world in which we live. It is based upon the idea that we are meant to make a difference. We are called to be contributors, people of reflection and action. . . . This is our common human task. It is our call to be participators in God’s continuous creation. [1]9
In the cosmic picture, we also find our talents have been given so we too can contribute to the common good that is part of building the Kingdom of God.
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