Wednesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time

“The Unfaithful Steward”
by Jan Luyken from the Bowyer Bible, c.1810’s

 
Readings for Wednesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Revelation 4:1-11
 
I, John, had a vision of an open door to heaven,
and I heard the trumpet-like voice
that had spoken to me before, saying,
“Come up here and I will show you what must happen afterwards.”
At once I was caught up in spirit.
A throne was there in heaven, and on the throne sat one
whose appearance sparkled like jasper and carnelian.
Around the throne was a halo as brilliant as an emerald.
Surrounding the throne I saw twenty-four other thrones
on which twenty-four elders sat,
dressed in white garments and with gold crowns on their heads.
From the throne came flashes of lightning,
rumblings, and peals of thunder.
Seven flaming torches burned in front of the throne,
which are the seven spirits of God.
In front of the throne was something that resembled
a sea of glass like crystal.
 
In the center and around the throne,
there were four living creatures
covered with eyes in front and in back.
The first creature resembled a lion, the second was like a calf,
the third had a face like that of a man,
and the fourth looked like an eagle in flight.
The four living creatures, each of them with six wings,
were covered with eyes inside and out.
Day and night they do not stop exclaiming:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty,
who was, and who is, and who is to come.”
Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks
to the one who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever,
the twenty-four elders fall down
before the one who sits on the throne
and worship him, who lives forever and ever.
They throw down their crowns before the throne, exclaiming:
 
“Worthy are you, Lord our God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things;
because of your will they came to be and were created.”
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Commentary on Rv 4:1-11
 
This reading is the entire text of Chapter 4 of St. John’s Revelation. First, we see the heavenly court in worship. The twenty-four elders would represent the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles. Much of what is described here is taken from the apocalyptic literature in the Old Testament, specifically Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1:22-26), Tobit (Tobit 12:15), and Isaiah (Isaiah 6:2). The special effects, flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder are representations of God’s activity. The addition of the eyes to the four living creatures represents God’s omnipresent vision and concern for mankind. The principal focus of this chapter, in addition to providing imagery of the heavenly court, is to give a sense of God’s majesty and omnipotence.
 
CCC: Rv 4-5 1138; Rv 4:2 1137; Rv 4:6-11 662; Rv 4:8-11 2642; Rv 4:11 295, 2855
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 150:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6
 
R. (1b) Holy, holy, holy Lord, mighty God!
 
Praise the LORD in his sanctuary,
praise him in the firmament of his strength.
Praise him for his mighty deeds,
praise him for his sovereign majesty.
R. Holy, holy, holy Lord, mighty God!
 
Praise him with the blast of the trumpet,
praise him with lyre and harp,
Praise him with timbrel and dance,
praise him with strings and pipe.
R. Holy, holy, holy Lord, mighty God!
 
Praise him with sounding cymbals,
praise him with clanging cymbals.
Let everything that has breath
praise the LORD! Alleluia.
R. Holy, holy, holy Lord, mighty God!
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Commentary on Ps 150:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6
 
Psalm 150 contains a litany of praise, first praising God for what he is.  In the strophes that follow, it offers praise with various media, instruments, dance, and song. The refrain, “holy, holy, holy Lord, mighty God,” has its roots in the ancient Hebrew, in that there was no word for “holier” or “holiest.” When that thought was to be expressed, the word was repeated the appropriate number of times. The psalm serves as a doxology for the fifth book of Psalms. The sound of clashing cymbals in this case reminds us of the rumblings and peals of thunder in Revelation, God’s work, and his presence on earth.
 
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Gospel:  Luke 19:11-28
 
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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Commentary on Lk 19:11-28
 
This selection from St. Luke’s Gospel contains two interwoven parables. The first is the parable of the talents (see also Matthew 25:14ff). The gold coins represent the gifts God has given us. The king’s return is meant to symbolize the Lord's final return in judgment. His reaction to each of the servants indicates the Lord’s expectation that the gifts he gives us are expected to be used and used for his greater glory. We are not to hide them; in doing so we lose them.
 
The second is the parable of the rejected king. This latter parable could have had historical significance since, after the death of Herod the Great, his son Archelaus went to Rome to receive the same authority. He was opposed by a delegation of Jews. Although he was not given the title of king, he was given authority over Judea and Samaria. This parallel used by St. Luke would have served to stop speculation about the imminent Parousia. A second possibility is that the Lord himself was predicting that his impending entry to Jerusalem was not to be a glorious kingship, but rather he would have to travel to a far distant place (heaven) to receive that crown.
 
St. Luke’s version of the parable of the talents serves to reinforce the idea that the faithful must be diligent in building up the kingdom of God through the use of what God has provided. Failure to do so (presuming the imminent second coming and laying down one’s vocation) would result in severe punishment.
 
CCC: Lk 19:11-27 1936; Lk 19:13;15 1880
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Reflection:
 
Today we look explicitly (and inwardly) at our preparation for the coming of the kingdom of God. That is what was expected in the Gospel from St. Luke, and that is the picture St. John painted in his vision from the Book of Revelation.
 
What is instructive here is the placement of the parable of the talents (Luke uses coins or “minahs”; it’s less expensive that way) that focuses us on our own discernment, or what our gifts are and how we are using them. It is good timing, as we approach the Advent season, to think about what we have been given, especially in the United States of America. How fortunate we are to have been given the freedom to worship our God (we hope), and to apply the gifts we have been given to his greater glory.
 
It is an excellent time to evaluate what God has given us. Not just the material things we have been able to accumulate because of the industry or intelligence with which he endowed us, but the application of that industry and intelligence. Have we done what we do for the Lord’s glory or our own? Have we presented the successes we have had as attributable to him, or to ourselves?
 
One element of the Gospel today cannot be overlooked as we evaluate our gifts and their application. That is, have we wrapped our coin of faith in a handkerchief because we were not proud of it, or have we taken that coin and put it in play, to bring more to God than he gave us to begin with? That is a hard question, but one the parable begs us to ask ourselves.
 
Pax
 

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[1] The picture used today is “The Unfaithful Steward” by Jan Luyken from the Bowyer Bible, c.1810’s.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.