XXXIII Sunday in Ordinary Time
33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves” (Mt 11:28-29). The Lord invites us to find peace and joy in Him this Sabbath as we set aside time to worship and rest.
PREPARE
“Remember the sabbath day—keep it holy. Six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God.”
Sabbath comes from the Hebrew word “Shabbat”, which literally means “to stop.” Keeping holy the Sabbath is not just a commandment, but an invitation. An invitation from the Lord to stop our work, stop our worrying, stop our striving. An opportunity to fid rest and to be renewed. A chance to refocus on the things that truly matter - the Lord, family, community. In our culture, Sunday has become a day to “catch up” on everything that didn’t get done during the week, and any time left over is often seen as an opportunity just to “get ahead” for next week. But we Christians have a chance now to remember what it means to keep the Sabbath. During this pandemic the Lord is calling us back to Himself, offering us a chance to reclaim the gift of the Sabbath, reminding us again what it means to “keep it holy.”
A basic principle for observing the Sabbath is only to do things that can be considered “rest” or “worship”. Here are a few ideas to consider to begin more to enter into the Sabbath. Maybe pick just one thing to focus on this Sunday, then next Sunday keep that practice in addition to a second one. And then the next Sunday add a third, to slowly over time begin to enter into this great gift of the Sabbath more and more.
Keep the Lord at the center - read the Mass readings ahead of time, participate in Mass, make more time for prayer, spend some extra time in silence focusing on the Lord
Try not to work - resist the urge to check your email, or catch up on a few things, and leave it for Monday
Plan ahead - take care of what needs to be done before Sunday, so plan the rest of your week to make sure you get the laundry done, have gone grocery shopping, etc.so you don’t have to do any of it on Sunday
Spend the day “screen free” - try to stay off social media, internet news, and your phone as much as possible. If you can’t make it the whole day try to go for at least a few hours
Be intentional with others - if you live with others (ie. family, roommates), is there something you can do together like play a game or go on a hike? If you live alone, can you reach out to a good friend and catch up?
Leisure, not entertainment - try to do things that are life giving; binge-watching a favorite show or playing video games for hours rarely leaves anyone with a new zeal for life. Read a good book, go on a long walk, develop a hobby.
PARTICIPATE
“Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt 18:20). Each Sunday we are called to “keep holy the Sabbath” and although that may look different for right now we will still come together as a St. Ann community through the gift of technology.
MASS READINGS
GIVING
Take a few minutes to give to St. Ann Parish. Please give generously and sacrificially as an act of faith during these difficult times. You can give online:
After giving, offer ways to be generous of your whole self during this trying time for our world.
“Each must do as already determined without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you, so that in all things, always having all you need, you may have an abundance for every good work.”
PROCESS
“When one finds a worthy wife, her value is far beyond pearls. Her husband, entrusting his heart to her, has an unfailing prize” (Prov 31:10-11).
Last week in our Sabbath Guide, we saw how the wise virgins were the ones who recognized that everything is a gift from the Lord, and who set aside a portion of their material goods (symbolized by the oil in their lamps) as dedicated to Him. Over the course of this week, we have been releasing a series of short videos to teach about some of the beautiful theology and effects of tithing, that it helps us grow in faith and practice interior freedom in resisting our tendency to put our trust in the false idol of Mammon (wealth). If you haven’t seen these videos, check them out at stannparish.org/tithe. Today, we zoom out, expanding our view of stewardship to look at how we are called to make good use of all that God has given us–our abilities, strengths, natural and supernatural gifts, and time–in whatever situation we find ourselves in.
Our first reading can seem a curious choice by the Church when you understand that during the weeks of Ordinary Time, the first reading and psalm are always paired together intentionally with the Gospel. What does the praise of the worthy wife in Prov 31 have to do with the parable of the talents in Mt 25? It becomes more clear when we read Prov 31 allegorically as descriptive of Christ the bridegroom, and his bride, the Church, along the lines of Eph 6:21-30. There, St. Paul describes the sacrificial love of Christ for his body and bride, the Church, and how he “handed himself over for her to sanctify her, cleansing her with by the bath of water with the word, that he might present to himself the church in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish” (Eph 6:25-27). In this light, we see the words of Proverbs 31 as descriptive of Christ’s great love for us, and how through His sacrifice on the Cross, He has irrevocably proven that love to us, that our value to Him is “far beyond pearls… an unfailing prize” (Prov 31:10-11).
What, then, is our response to such tremendous love from our divine bridegroom? It is to bring Him “good, and not evil, all the days of [our] life” (Prov 31:12), working diligently “with loving hands” (Prov 31:13), reaching out our “hands to the poor,” and extending our “arms to the needy” (Prov 31:20). By meditating on the virtues of the worthy wife in Prov 31, we can see an example of the many practical ways we can serve the Lord in small things done with great love. This is the same message as in our Gospel, where we see that our response to God’s great love is to make wise and faithful use of the talents with which He has entrusted us, in the hope to one day hear Him say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master's joy” (Mt 25:21).
PRACTICE
If you haven’t been able to yet, please consider making a financial pledge to St. Ann to support the work and mission of our parish in this upcoming year. You can view a series of short videos here that can help you in your discernment and to make a commitment.
The rest of the practice for this week is to continue exploring what it means to be good stewards of all that God has given us, fulfilling our responsibilities for the service of others and the glory of God. Considering the different roles you have in your life (i.e. single, married, parent, child, friend, roommate, student, employee) we invite you to reflect on qualities from the section of Proverbs used in the first reading. You can use some of the questions below as a guide. Take your Bible and read the full passage from Prov 31:10-31, and as you go through the reflection, ask the Holy Spirit to show you any areas He might be asking you to grow in, to greater fulfill what the Lord is asking of you. Try to make a concrete commitment to do at least one thing differently this week.
Qualities found in Proverbs 31:10-31:
Good judgment - do I make good decisions, taking time to seek the Lord’s will and be prudent in all of my affairs?
Brings profit not loss - do I live within my means?
Works with skillful hands - am I faithful to my calling as a student, or employee, not wasting time and doing my very best?
Secures provisions - do I see mundane tasks like laundry and grocery shopping as responsibilities that the Lord has entrusted me with?
Rises early - do I start my day with prayer, giving the Lord the “first fruits” of my time?
Looks to the future - do I live in the balance between trust in the Lord for all I need, but also wisely planning for the future?
Exerts her arm with vigor - am I willing to work hard for others, even if I am tired or not recognized or appreciated?
Helps the poor and needy - am I generous in service of others, particularly the poor?
Filled with joy not anxiety about the future - do I worry inordinately about what is to come, or do I find joy in the moment the Lord has given me?
Opens mouth in wisdom - is my conversation wise and uplifting?
Gives kind instruction - am I willing to speak truth charitably to others?
Is not idle - Do I waste a lot of time on entertainment or “escapism” habits instead of finding a balance of work and true life-giving leisure?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Think about how you can continue to reflect on God’s word to you this week, and how you can invite others into the conversation. You can use the questions below for personal reflection, or to grow with others. Be creative! You could consider gathering with friends and family, or starting a group text, or a group FaceTime, to discuss the questions below. What stands out to you from the readings this week? What might God be speaking to you at this time?
What stands out to you from the readings this week? What might God be speaking to you at this time?
The first reading gives a beautiful description of a wife who works diligently for her family, but it can be applied to all of us in regards to being responsible to what we are called to do. Are there any responsibilities you have (this could be in the home, in your work, at school, etc.) that you particularly dislike? Have you ever considered doing that responsibility faithfully as a way of living out your friendship with Jesus?
The parable in the Gospel is about a man entrusting his servants with his possessions. What are examples of things you feel the Lord has entrusted to you?
Reflecting on what the Lord has entrusted to you and how you are responding, do you feel more like the first, second, or third servant? Why might that be?
In this parable our Lord does not include an example of a servant who worked hard to gain a return on what had been entrusted to him but then fails (only servants who are successful, or a servant who doesn’t try). Why do you think that might be?
As you reflect on the different roles you have in your life (ie. parent or child, spouse or single, employee or student) what are some things the Lord asks of you to be responsible and faithful to that role?
What is one way this week you could be a more faithful steward of what the Lord has entrusted to you in the roles He has called you to?
KIDS
ACTIVITY
Give everyone a piece of paper and tell them to draw a picture and/or write a talent that they may have. Then have everyone fold their paper and hide it somewhere in the house to be found by another . When the "talent papers" are all found, sit down and discuss the talents that everyone can use for God.
CONNECTION
In this Sunday’s Gospel, God is the Master and we are his servants. The talents that the master gave to his servants in this story was a form of money but God has given us talents too. He created each of us with special gifts and he expects us to use those gifts to follow Him and bring others to know Him.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Do you have a special gift or talent? What is it?
Does everyone have the same gifts and talents? Why not?
What would happen if we had talents that we “buried” or didn’t use?
How can we use the gifts that we have?
FAMILY PRACTICE
This week use the particular gift/talent, you just discussed, that God has given you. Make a plan on how you can use one of your talents this week to help someone.
