Readings for Wednesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Revelations 4:1-11
After this 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.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Rv 4:1-11
This reading is the entire text of Chapter 4 of John’s Revelation. First we see the heavenly court in worship. The twenty four elders would represent the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 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 4 living creatures represents God’s omnipresent vision and concern for mankind. The principle focus of this chapter, in addition to providing imagery of the heavenly court, is to give a sense of God’s majesty and omnipotence.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm:[4] 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!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 150:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6
Psalm 150 serves a doxology for the 5th book of Psalms. 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 sound of Crashing cymbals in this case reminds us of the rumblings and peals of thunder in Revelation, God’s work and presence on earth.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Luke 19:11-28
While people were listening to him (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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Lk 19:11-28
This Gospel selection is Luke’s version of the Parable of the Talents. He combines it with the story of the King who is rejected so it has a little different flavor than that found in Matthew 25:14-30[5]. The gold coins here represent the gifts God has given us. The king’s return is meant to symbolize his 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 loose them.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 Revelations.
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 focus 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 and especially in the United States of America as we sit at the vigil of the Thanksgiving holiday. How fortunate we are to have been given the freedom to worship our God and to apply the gifts we have been given to His greater glory.
It is an excellent time to take to evaluate what it is that God gave 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 His 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
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture today is “Parable of the Talents” Artist and Date UNKNOWN (in the public domain)
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana
[4] Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.
[5] See commentary on 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Revelations 4:1-11
After this 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.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Rv 4:1-11
This reading is the entire text of Chapter 4 of John’s Revelation. First we see the heavenly court in worship. The twenty four elders would represent the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 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 4 living creatures represents God’s omnipresent vision and concern for mankind. The principle focus of this chapter, in addition to providing imagery of the heavenly court, is to give a sense of God’s majesty and omnipotence.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm:[4] 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!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 150:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6
Psalm 150 serves a doxology for the 5th book of Psalms. 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 sound of Crashing cymbals in this case reminds us of the rumblings and peals of thunder in Revelation, God’s work and presence on earth.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Luke 19:11-28
While people were listening to him (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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Lk 19:11-28
This Gospel selection is Luke’s version of the Parable of the Talents. He combines it with the story of the King who is rejected so it has a little different flavor than that found in Matthew 25:14-30[5]. The gold coins here represent the gifts God has given us. The king’s return is meant to symbolize his 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 loose them.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 Revelations.
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 focus 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 and especially in the United States of America as we sit at the vigil of the Thanksgiving holiday. How fortunate we are to have been given the freedom to worship our God and to apply the gifts we have been given to His greater glory.
It is an excellent time to take to evaluate what it is that God gave 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 His 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
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture today is “Parable of the Talents” Artist and Date UNKNOWN (in the public domain)
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana
[4] Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.
[5] See commentary on 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A
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