Wednesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Saint Paul is a Christian keenly aware of his mission, as we can see in today’s first reading: “To me, the very least of all the holy ones, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the inscrutable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for all what is the plan of the mystery hidden from ages past in God who created all things.” It is a remarkable statement—remarkable in that Paul sees himself as “the very least” of the holy ones, the saints, but also in that Paul has a profound sense of the grandeur and dignity of his mission. In this juxtaposition of Paul’s humility and his greatness, the wisdom and power of God is revealed: God who chooses the weak things of this world to confound the strong (1 Cor 1:27).
Each of us, too, has a part to play in “the plan of the mystery hidden from ages past in God”—and a unique one, at that. Whatever our faults and failings may be, whatever our limitations, God has specially chosen and called us. We are the servants from today’s Gospel parable, the ones whom the master has put in charge of his household—that is, the particular share of graces entrusted to us each.
Today, let us reflect on the dignity and greatness of our call and mission as Christians, as missionary disciples of the Lord. And let us ask for the grace of alertness and diligence, that we may be found the faithful and prudent servants of our Lord.