Wednesday November 20, 2024

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Good News Reflections:
Making scripture meaningful to your daily life
by Terry Modica

Jesus will make good come out of everything if we let him be our King.

Good News Reflection for:

Wednesday of the 33rd Week of Ordinary Time
November 20, 2024

Today’s Prayer:

My Lord: Grant me the grace to overcome fear and comfort and to launch into the mission You entrusted to me. Amen.

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Today’s Readings:

Revelation 4:1-11
Ps 150:1b-6
Luke 19:11-28
bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/112024.cfm
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
bible.usccb.org/podcasts/audio/daily-mass-reading-podcast-november-20-2024

Investing in the kingdom

As we approach Advent, the Church focuses us on Christ’s kingship, because Jesus was born among us to open up for us the KINGdom of God. The parable in today’s Gospel passage, about a victorious king, gives us a glimpse into the mind of Jesus.

As he headed for Jerusalem, he knew he would suffer. He knew he faced a tremendously horrific battle in order to win victory over the devils who want to hold shut the door to the Kingdom of God to keep us out: “Now as for those enemies of mine who did not want me as their king, bring them here and slay them before me.”

In our daily temptations, we fight an enemy that doesn’t want Jesus to be our king, but guess what, Jesus has already been crowned! Despair and worry are merely an attempt to make us forget that Christ is already the Victor King. Hope and joy come from remembering that we are already members of his kingdom, safe and secure in the power of his presence.

We are princes and princesses of this kingdom. We have received an inheritance of many gifts – time, talents and treasures – which our King has asked us to invest for the sake of increasing the profits of his kingdom. Are you investing your gifts wisely? Are you hiding anything? Are you holding tightly onto any treasure so as not to lose it?

Notice that the only person in this parable who lost what he’d been given was the one who tried to protect it. When we invest nothing, when we do only the mediocre or the bare minimum, nothing grows. We are useless. Worse than that, we’re wicked. It’s wicked to do nothing for the kingdom when so much needs to be done! Evil flourishes when we keep the gifts of God hidden, using them only for ourselves.

Okay, but why does the King give more to the one who already has much? Isn’t the person who starts out with less in greater need of God’s generosity? Yes, but we are not the only investors here. God is investing in you. Are you a good investment? Do you have a good history of using well what he has given you? Have you proven yourself worthy of receiving more by giving more?

In the economy of God’s kingdom, there is no such thing as a failed investment. Nothing is wasted unless nothing is done. Even if we make poor choices, the benefit is greater than doing nothing, because Jesus will make good come out of everything if we let him be our King.

When we do our best, even if it’s not great, we become better. We don’t become a top investor overnight. But if we truly desire to excel in the use of our gifts and talents for the sake of the kingdom, God invests his time in our “invest-ability”. He puts his resources where it can increase and spread.

To help you reflect on this topic, meditate with our WordByte “What Does It Mean to Be an Apostle Today?” @ https://wordbytes.org/evangelization-ministry/apostle-today/

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