Jesus telling this parable to warn His listeners.

He would depart but would return again before the kingdom came in full glory.

They must conduct themselves accordingly as trustworthy servants in His absence.

Teaching his audience the importance of faithfulness and trustworthiness as servants.

 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊    

Revelation 4:1-11

After this,

I looked up to the wall of the sky and saw an open door. The voice which I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here and I will show you what will come in the future." Immediately I was seized by the Spirit. There, in heaven, was a throne and one sitting on it. He who sat there looked like jasper and carnelian and round the throne was a rainbow resembling an emerald. 

 

In a circle around the throne are twenty-four thrones and seated on these are twenty-four elders, dressed in white clothes, with golden crowns on their heads. Flashes of lightning come forth from the throne, with voices and thunderclaps. Seven flaming torches burn before the throne; these are the seven spirits of God.

 

Before the throne there is a platform, transparent like crystal. Around and beside the throne stand four living creatures, full of eyes, both in front and behind. The first living creature is like a lion, the second like a bull, the third has the face of a man and the fourth looks like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures has six wings full of eyes, all around as well as within; day and night they sing without ceasing, 

 

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, master of the universe, who was, and is and is to come.

 

Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to the One on the throne, he who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him and worship the One who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns in front of the throne and say, 

 

Our Lord and God, worthy are you to receive glory, honor and power!

For you have created all things; by your will they came to be and were made.

 

Ps 150:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6 Holy, holy, holy Lord, mighty God!

 

＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊      

Luke 19:11-28

Jesus was now near Jerusalem, and the people with him thought that God's reign was about to appear. So as they were listening to him, Jesus went on to tell them a parable. He said, "A man of noble birth went to a distant country in order to be crowned king, after which he planned to return home. Before he left, he summoned ten of his servants and gave them ten pounds of silver. He said, 'Put this money to work until I get back. But his compatriots, who disliked him, sent a delegation after him with this message, 'We do not want this man to be our king.'

 

He returned, however, appointed as king. At once he sent for the servants, to whom he had given the money, to find out what profit each had made. The first came in, and reported, 'Sir, your pound of silver has earned ten more pounds of silver.

 

The master replied, 'Well done, my good servant! Since you have proved yourself faithful in a small matter, I can trust you to take charge of ten cities. The second reported, 'Sir, your pound of silver earned five more pounds of silver.' The master replied, 'And you, take charge of five cities!

 

The third came in, and said, 'Sir, here is your money, which I hid for safekeeping. I was afraid of you, for you are an exacting person: you take up what you did not lay down, and you reap what you did not sow.

 

The master replied, 'You worthless servant, I will judge you by your own words! So you knew I was an exacting person, taking up what I did not lay down, and reaping what I did not sow? Why, then, did you not put my money on loan, so that, when I got back, I could have collected it with interest?"

 

Then the master said to those standing by, 'Take from him that pound, and give it to the one with ten pounds. But they objected, 'Sir, he already has ten pounds!' The master replied, 'I tell you, everyone who has will be given more; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for my enemies who did not want me to be their king, bring them in, and execute them right here in front of me!"

 

So Jesus spoke, and then he passed on ahead of them, on his way to Jerusalem.

 

Gospel Reflection ：

"God's gift to us." 

Our faith journey now invites us to make a more intense self-examination. This time, it would be good to look into how we used our energy, resources, talents and skills this past liturgical year. Have we made the most out of whatever God has given us? Have we misused or abused such God-given gifts? Have we set them aside out of fear or indifference?

 

What have we done with God's gift to us? In the Gospel pericope for today, Jesus narrated a parable –  the Parable of the Ten Pounds. There is a more familiar parallel story which is known to us as the Parable of the Talents (cf. Mt 25:14-20), Both the Lucan and Matthean accounts are textually situated toward the end of Jesus' earthly life, when he was about to fulfill his mission in Jerusalem.

 

We may reflect on our God-given gifts vis-à-vis Jesus' offering of himself. Jesus gave his all that we may have the fullness of life. Can we also give our best so that we may keep the kind of life God intends for us to have?