Reflection for November 19 Wednesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 19:11-28

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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Reflection:

What is our mission in this world? Our mission is to become productive followers of the Lord. And how can we become such followers? When we spread our faith, confront and avoid sin, and do good, we become fruitful followers. But when we choose to do nothing for the Lord, we become unproductive followers who bear no fruit for His kingdom.

The good Lord lovingly invites us to share our faith so that we may grow, for this is the only way we can truly bear fruit. Yet many of us hesitate, telling ourselves that we do not know enough about Jesus or about our Catholic faith. But how can we grow in what we do not seek to understand? How can we love Someone we do not strive to know more deeply?

The secret to knowing Jesus is simple: we must open our hearts to discover Him daily. The more we discover who He is, the more we receive the grace and the tools to become His productive followers. And one of the best places to begin this journey of discovery is through our faithful presence at the Holy Mass, where Jesus Himself meets us, nourishes us, and teaches us.

We therefore need to know Jesus more—so that we may mature in faith, and so that in time, we may joyfully share what we have come to know and love about Him. The Lord has already equipped us with the grace we need through our Baptism and Confirmation. He has planted His gifts in us; now we are called to nurture them.

But will we allow Jesus to lead us into a deeper encounter with Him, or will we continue to hide behind our excuses and fears? – Marino J. Dasmarinas