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Commentary on the Gospel – November 19, 2025
The Kingdom of God: Responsibility and Grace
Today’s Gospel presents a complex version of the parable of the talents. Its basic meaning is that each person will be held accountable in proportion to what he or she has received. This idea is also present in the parable of the minas, though with different nuances connected to the coming of the Kingdom of God. Here Jesus tells us that the first condition for the Kingdom to come is to want it—to desire it. For there are those who openly oppose it. This is why Jesus alludes to the citizens who reject the proposed king. He seems to be referring to a historical event: the appointment of Archelaus, son of Herod the Great, as king of Judea by the Roman emperor Augustus, despite the strong opposition of much of the population (led by the Pharisees). In the parable, the citizens who did not want that king represent those who actively resist the coming of the Kingdom of God—those whose way of life contradicts justice and love. To this first condition—necessary but not sufficient—for the coming of the Kingdom, Jesus adds another: although the Kingdom of God is a gift that we cannot bring about by our own efforts, it is not enough merely to desire it or pray for it. God, who does not impose His Kingdom, asks for our active cooperation.
Some people say, to justify themselves before God and others, “I don’t kill, I don’t steal, and I don’t harm anyone.” This minimal morality resembles the man who hid his mina and refused to trade with it. The human capital we have been given—our gifts, abilities, knowledge, and talents—is dynamic by nature, meant to generate greater good. This is woven into the very fabric of reality from the moment of creation: “Be fruitful and multiply” (Gen 1:28). The gift of the coming of the Kingdom is also a call to responsibility.
The ending of the parable can strike us as shocking or frightening: “As for these enemies of mine… bring them here and slaughter them in my presence.” Once again, Jesus seems to allude to the episode involving Archelaus, who carried out a brutal massacre (some say he killed more than three thousand Pharisees) against his opponents. Such is often the way of earthly kingdoms. But with the Kingdom of God, things move in the opposite direction: “Jesus went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.” This is a clear reference to the gift of His own life on the cross for the establishment of the Kingdom. And this is how it works: in our dynamic and active desire to cooperate in the coming of the Kingdom of God, we must face those who oppose it—but not by killing them. Rather, we give our own lives, through our willingness to embrace martyrdom, as in the dramatic events narrated in the Book of Maccabees.
Fraternally,