Daily Catholic Mass Readings for September 1, 2018
First Reading: 1 Corinthians 1.26-31
26For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.27But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;28God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,29so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.30He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption.31Therefore, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."
Psalm 33
1Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright.2Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!3Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.4For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.5He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.6By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.7He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses.8Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!9For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.10The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples.11The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.12Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!13The LORD looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man;14from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth,15he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds.16The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.17The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue.18Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,19that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.20Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.21For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.22Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you.
Gospel: Matthew 25.14-30
14"For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property.15To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.16He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more.17So also he who had the two talents made two talents more.18But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money.19Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them.20And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.'21His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.'22And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.'23His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.'24He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed,25so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.'26But his master answered him, 'You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sowed and gather where I scattered no seed?27Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest.28So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents.29For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.30And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
Sermon
In today’s readings, we are reminded of the profound truth that our worth and purpose are not measured by the standards of the world but by the wisdom and grace of God. The first reading from 1 Corinthians challenges us to reflect on our vocation and the gifts we have been given. Paul emphasizes that God chooses the weak and the humble to confound the strong and the wise. This is a call to humility, recognizing that our true strength comes not from our own abilities or status but from our relationship with Christ, who is our wisdom, justice, and redemption.
The Gospel from Matthew reinforces this message through the parable of the talents. The master entrusts his servants with different amounts of talents, not based on their worth but according to their ability. The servants who use their talents wisely and productively are praised and rewarded, while the one who buries his talent out of fear is condemned. This parable invites us to reflect on how we use the gifts and resources God has entrusted to us. It is not about how much we have but about how faithfully we use what we have been given. The servant who failed to act was not punished for his lack of talent but for his failure to take risks and trust in the master’s plan.
These readings call us to live with purpose and courage, trusting that God’s grace is sufficient for us. In our daily lives, we are invited to recognize the gifts we have been given and to use them in service to others and for the glory of God. Let us not be afraid to take risks or to step out in faith, knowing that our ultimate reward is not in earthly success but in hearing the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your master.” May we strive to live humbly, trust fully, and serve generously, remembering that everything we have is a gift from God.