Prov 31.10-13, 19-20, 30-31;
Ps 127;
I Thess 5.1-6;
Mt 25.14-30
Grace is meant to be put to use; do not bury the one thing God has given you.
On the penultimate Sunday of the Church year, the Gospel presents a parable about the Last Judgment: the final and irrevocable separation of the godly from the godless. The elect will be admitted to the fullness of the Kingdom, while a permanent alternative is prepared for those who have failed. The parable’s concluding words are intended to awaken us and are deeply sobering. They make clear that Our Lord envisages the possibility that some souls may be lost. Even if we set aside the literal images of weeping, gnashing of teeth, and outer darkness, the doctrine remains clear: some will be saved, while others may not. If we are wise, we will do our utmost to be among those to whom the Lord says, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.”
The Lord expects us to make the best use of what He has given us. The parable is not about money, but about grace. He expects us to use the gifts of sanctifying grace bestowed upon us at Baptism and renewed throughout our lives. These gifts must not lie dormant; they must increase and multiply. Otherwise, He will judge us for wasting what He Himself invested. Marking time, standing still, keeping one’s head down, and playing it safe are not options. More is required. We must not only avoid sin—which is self-evident—but also develop God’s gifts within us by growing in virtue and advancing in holiness. The Kingdom is not only for those who have avoided mortal sin; it is for those who have become saints.
We often think of morality and religion merely as sets of rules about what not to do: “Thou shalt not.” Yet the purpose of the moral life is to help us do good, cultivate the qualities that make us good, and grow in virtue. “Virtue” may seem an old-fashioned concept in today’s utilitarian world—a relic of the Protestant ethic or a pale substitute for a full-blooded Catholic spirituality. It is neither. The pursuit of sound, traditional virtue lies, and should lie, at the heart of every serious Catholic spiritual life. Virtue is possible only with God’s help and should be practised out of love for Him.
What are the human virtues? They are stable dispositions of understanding and will that govern our actions, regulate our passions, and guide our conduct in accordance with reason and faith. All human virtues depend upon the four cardinal virtues: prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. Prudence enables reason to discern our true good in each situation and to choose the right means of attaining it. Justice is the firm and constant determination to give God and our neighbour what is due to them. Fortitude provides firmness in difficulties and constancy in pursuing what is right. Temperance moderates the attraction of sensory pleasures and promotes balance in the use of worldly goods. All virtues must be guided by charity.
Virtue does not come easily to our fallen nature; it always requires effort. The season of Advent, which begins again in two weeks, offers an appropriate time for reflection. Have we been faithful over a little? Do we deserve to enter into the joy of the Master? Are we in credit? Regularly examining our moral balance sheet is prudent. Otherwise, we may lull ourselves into believing that we remain in credit when we are, in fact, already overdrawn and living on borrowed time.
When the Master returns, He will determine whether, by His own demanding and uncompromising standards, we have proved to be a good or a bad investment. The Catechism puts it this way: “On Judgment Day at the end of the world, Christ will come in glory to achieve the definitive triumph of good over evil which, like the wheat and the tares, have grown up together in the course of history” (para. 681). “When He comes at the end of time to judge the living and the dead, the glorious Christ will reveal the secret disposition of hearts and will render to each man according to his works, and according to his acceptance or refusal of grace” (para. 682). “At the end of time, the Kingdom of God will come in its fullness. Then the just will reign with Christ for ever, glorified in body and soul, and the material universe itself will be transformed. God will then be “all in all” in eternal life” (para. 1060). I wish you all a blessing.
Fr Joseph Osho