Wednesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

Today's Mass Readings

The title for today’s reflection comes from a Spiderman movie. In the movie, Peter Parker is contemplating the variety of gifts he was given and how he is being called to use them. As Christians, we are called to a similar inventory of our time, talents, and treasure in order to see how we are being called to use them for building the Kingdom of Heaven. In the first reading, St. Paul is describing the tremendous gift of God’s grace that was given to him for the benefit of the community. This grace gave Paul and all of the holy Apostles revelatory insights into the mystery of Christ. Paul’s mission came from this revelation and drove him with the power of the Holy Spirit to preach to the Gentiles. He saw the Gentiles as the coheirs of the promise of Christ Jesus. Paul’s preaching to the Gentiles brought them the good news of Jesus and helped them see the “plan of mystery” that had been hidden in God for generations past. For Paul, the mystery was revealed so that all could be accomplished through Christ. It is through our faith in Christ Jesus that we, like Paul, have the boldness of speech and the confidence to make the wisdom of God known through the Church.

The responsorial psalm from Isaiah affirms Paul’s message that our courage and strength comes from the Lord. The psalm accentuates that it is the Lord who is our fountain of salvation. We give thanks and exalt God’s name because this wellspring flows through us. When we are aware of these living waters in us, the Spirit sets our hearts on fire and sends us forth to make the Gospel known to all.

The parable found in the gospel of Luke repeats the theme of stewardship, found in the first reading. The servant is given charge of all the property and expected to be faithful and prudent. In this story, the servant represents us and the master is the Lord. The servant is given responsibility over a great deal and is expected to protect and distribute the wealth of the master as necessary. The steward of the story must be prepared, for he does not know when the Master will return. The lesson of the parable is that we need to seek to know the master’s will and act accordingly.

As we go throughout the day today, let us reflect on our own stewardship: time, talent, and treasure. Do we recognize that all we have comes from God? Do we share our gifts in accordance with God’s will? How is God inspiring us to go forth to bring about the Kingdom of Heaven?

We are a very blessed people, who have been entrusted with much. Lord, help us to live this day striving to understand and accomplish all you expect from us. So that when You come, You find us ready to be one with You.

- Michael Montgomery