Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A (2026)
Sunday, November 15, 2026
Today’s Gospel reading of the parable of the talents may raise some eyebrows. A man going on a journey entrusted his possessions to three servants: five talents to one, two to another, and one to the third. The first two put their money to work and doubled it; the third buried his share. When the master returned, he praised the first two and entrusted them with more. The third returned the money unchanged, saying he had been afraid. The master condemned him, gave his talent to the servant who now had ten, and ordered that the third servant be cast into the darkness outside.
Because the parable uses the language of money, it is easy to read it as though God expected the servants to invest His money so it could earn interest. Furthermore, the Master in the parable does not accuse the third servant of being a thief or a squanderer; rather, He calls him wicked and lazy, takes the money away from him, and gives it to the one with the ten talents and commands, “Throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. (Matthew 25:30). Is this parable about finance and prudent investments? What are we to learn from this parable Jesus taught?
In a homily, Pope John Paul II explains that a talent in the ancient world was a substantial amount of money, not a personal ability: “The talent represented at that time a certain amount of money, one could say a capital.” (John Paul II, February 4, 1985) It has been said that one talent equals around fifteen years’ wages. Therefore, the servant given five talents received a significant sum, as did the one with two talents. Even a single talent represents a substantial amount. The talents in the parable can also represent the gifts, graces, and responsibilities God entrusts to us. The third servant’s failure is not simply that he felt afraid; it is that fear became an excuse to bury what he received and refuse to use it fruitfully. The parable warns against failing to respond to God’s gifts, not because everyone must achieve the same results, but because each person is accountable for using faithfully what has been entrusted to them.
The first reading, from Proverbs, offers a portrait of a woman whose life is measured not by appearance but by wisdom in action. It does not praise her simply for being productive, as though output measured a person. It identifies the deeper source and standard of her life: reverence for God expressed in a faithful life. In the second reading, Paul urges Christians to remain awake and sober, rather than assume there will always be time to respond. Along with the parable, the readings suggest that being ready for God involves active engagement. It is evident in how we use our time, abilities, relationships, material resources, and opportunities to serve. The two servants praised by the master began with unequal amounts, and both were faithful. The question is not so much “How much have I achieved?” but “Have I used my gifts, time, and resources faithfully, and for whose good?”
Go in Peace to Love and Serve the Lord.