May we preach the Gospel in word and deed, so that we might hear at our own judgment the blessed words, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant.’
Sunday, Nov. 15, is the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A). Mass Readings: Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31; Psalm 128:1-5; 1 Thessalonians 6:1-6; Matthew 25:14-30.
The readings start with praise for a good wife: “When one finds a worthy wife, her value is far beyond pearls.” This wife “works with loving hands,” and she “extends her arms to the needy.” The rewards for her hard and righteous work should be made public, for “the woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”
The Psalm picks up on this theme with the response, “Blessed are those who fear the Lord.” And fear of the Lord is precisely the message that connects these readings. St. Paul, continuing from last Sunday’s reading, tells us that this fear should keep us “alert and sober.” After all, “the day of the Lord will come like a thief at night.”
So it is that we come to the Gospel: While the first two servants double their master’s treasure, the third buries it in the ground.
