Gospel-Homily for Thirty-third Sunday of Ordinary Time (2023)

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No Risks, Guaranteed Win When Your Master Is God

Let’s talk about parables for a moment. A parable is a simple story about ordinary events, and Jesus throws in a zinger. For example, someone says, “Well, I went into the store, and I took out my wallet and saw a one-dollar bill. I took it out and gave it to the cashier…” So far, it is just a simple and somewhat boring account. But let’s continue. “So I bought a scratch ticket and won a million dollars.” Suddenly, out of nowhere, the story is not dull anymore. This is close to a parable of Jesus, an ordinary story with a zinger.

Jesus tells a parable of a master who gives three of his servants a large sum of money. One of the servants buries the money. Why does he do that? Because there are a thousand ways to lose money in the ancient world. The only sure way to secure money is to bury it. Nobody knows where it is so no one can steal it. Allow me to offer the parable the way it should be heard. “The first steward goes to the master and says, “I deposited your large sum of money in the bank because I wanted to draw interest. But the bank was robbed. You lost all your money.” The Master says, “You fool! Didn’t you know that banks around here always get robbed?” The second servant tells his master, “I invested your money so you would have more on your return. So, I bought wheat in Egypt. They put it on a boat, and it sank. Your investment is now at the bottom of the ocean.” Then the master shouted, “You fool, didn’t you know this is hurricane season.” So the third servant went to his master and told him, “Here is all our money, safe and sound.” Well, look, who is the hero of the story? The one who buried the treasure. He is supposed to be the hero because he is smart by burying the money. But that is not what happens in Jesus’ parable. He is the bad guy. Why does Jesus make the heroes the ones who took big risks? Because when Jesus is your master, there is no risk of losing anything. It is always a guaranteed win.

The Philistines challenged the Israelites, saying, “Let’s settle once and for all; you pick your best soldier, and we will pick ours. Let them battle mano a mano. Winner takes all.” So, the Philistines chose Goliath because he had the most combat experience and was powerful and robust. On the Israelite side, God chose little David. When Goliath saw David with no protection, sword, or experience, he figured it was a guaranteed win. Little did Goliath know that David wasted his youth away playing video games with his slingshot. David should have been afraid to face the mammoth power of his enemy, but he wasn’t. When your leader is God, there are no risks. It is a guaranteed win.

Last Sunday, I told the faithful at Mass that when Jesus opens His mouth to talk, we will most likely not like what we hear. This is because Jesus says things like love enemies, rejoice when you are persecuted, blessed are you when you morn. Christianity is hard. It is not an easy road, for sure. But we have to remember that when God is our Master, there are no risks. It is always a win. When we listen to God’s valuable words, do not bury them. Invest in them, and you will never have to take a risk.