Mass Readings:
Reading 1 – Proverbs 31:10-31
Psalm – Psalm 128:1-5
Reading 2 – 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6
Gospel – Matthew 25:14-30
Homilies:
Homily on laziness
Parable of the Talents by Bishop Barron
- “Investment. Risk. Return.” This is a great model for the spiritual life. God is pure gift. We must make ourselves a gift too. Paradox how clinging to gifts, they wither away and giving away gifts they increase. We must be go-givers!! not go-getters (Peter Morgan).
- Find some concrete way to share your faith and take the risk!
In Praise of Woman by Fr. Cantalamessa
- Cantalamessa contrasts the praise of woman in Proverbs with the grandeur and dignity Jesus bestows upon women.
- It is said that the daughter of a king of France treated her young maid very harshly. One day, irritated, she said to her: “Don’t you know I am the daughter of your king?” The young girl replied calmly: “And, don’t you know that I am the daughter of your God?”
St. Charles Borromeo Bible Study on today’s readings
Brant Pitre
- Gospel – sin of laziness.
- 1st reading – virtue of diligence is the link with the Gospel. She is a hard-working
“You should have deposited the money,” he says, “and left me to reclaim it, which I should have done with interest,” meaning by interest the good works that are seen to follow the hearing of the Lord. “The easier part is all you were expected to do, leaving the harder part to me.”… What is the meaning of this? That whoever has received for the good of others the ability to preach and teach, and does not use it, will lose that ability, whereas the zealous servant will be given greater ability, even as the other forfeits what he had. (John Chrysostom, Homilies on Matthew 78; trans. E. Barnecut)
How can we ‘invest’ the gifts that God has given us so as to bring him a ‘return’ on his investment?
Nowadays, people do not often think of laziness toward God as a sin. And yet the lazy servant is cast into the outer darkness not for committing adultery, or killing, or anything other than failing to use the gifts he has been given. What does this say about the sin of spiritual sloth?
The Prodigal Catholic Blog 