Reflection for Sunday – November 15, 2026

Sr. Barbara Moore, RSMSunday Readings Homilies

Readings: Proverbs 31: 10-13,19-20, 30-31; Thessalonians 5:1-6; Matthew 25: 14-30 
Preacher: Sr. Barbara Moore

Today, we can make connections between the words from the Book of Proverbs and our lived experiences.  Our first reading from Proverbs praises  “the worthy side” of a wife.  She uses the gifts she has been given and “extends her arms to the needy.”  The author says, “her works will praise her at the city gates.”

 So many women in our lives resemble this woman from the Book of Proverbs, and it is wonderful that this ancient reading grasps the importance of an often-neglected group.  Certainly, ancient women did not hold the status of many women these days, but it is important to note that this ancient text elevated a worthy wife in an age of male dominance.

In the Gospel, Jesus shares a parable about the talents three servants received, how they were trusted, and how each recipient used or misused their gifts.  We are told the Master was going on a journey and gave the talents to his servants according to their ability.  The Master extended his trust to three different servants.  He understood their abilities.  That is an important fact and indicates the Master understood the differences between and among the characters in his story.  Each servant handled the trust they had been given in different ways, but the expectation was that they were to invest their talents and make money for the Master. 

This story tells us a great deal about the Master.  He understands the talents of his servants and trusts them.  Thomas Long in his book, “Proclaiming the Parables” shares that a talent in Jesus’ day was “worth fifteen to twenty years wages.”  This fact is overwhelming and adds additional meaning to the story.  The Master was also aware of the gifts of his servants and the parable states that he gave the talents to each one, “according to their ability.”  This fact in the parable indicates the wisdom and care of the master and his understanding of his servants.

The servant who did not act wisely blamed his action on the character of his Master, but was told that the least he could have done was to invest the talent and make interest. Thomas Long writes, “The key to the parable is not that the man buried the talent.  It is why he did so.”

The man who was given one talent had options and he understood his master but took a path of least resistance and according to the parable disappointed his Master.  He had other options, and as one scholar indicates “one talent was equivalent to what a poor person could live on for years.” Think of what our fellow could have done with his one talent and what his life could have been!

Sr. Barbara Moore, RSM
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