The Gospel for The memorial of St. Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr is taken from Luke 19:11, 28th verse. While people were listening to Jesus speak, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near Jerusalem, and they thought that the kingdom of God would appear there immediately. So he said, a nobleman went off to a distant country to obtain the kingship for himself, and then to return. He called 10 of his servants and gave them 10 gold coins and told them, engage in trade with these until I come. His fellow citizens, however, despised him and sent a delegation after him to announce, we do not want this man to be our king.

But when he returned after obtaining the kingship, he had the servants called to whom he had given the money to learn what they had gained by trading. The first came forward and said, sir, your gold coin has earned 10 additional ones. He replied, well done, good servant. You have been faithful in this very small matter. Take charge of 10 cities. Then the second came and reported, you gold coin, sir, has earned five more.

And to this servant too, he said, you take charge of five cities. Then the other servant came and said, sir, here is your gold coin. I kept it stored away in a handkerchief, for I was afraid of you. Because you are a demanding man. You take up what you did not lay down and you harvest what you did not plant. He said to him, with your own words, I shall condemn you, you wicked servant.

You knew I was a demanding man, taking up what I did not lay down, harvesting what I did not plant. Why did you not put my money in a bank that on my return I would have collected it with interest? And to those standing by, he said, take the gold coin from him and give it to the servant who has 10. But they said to him, sir, he has 10 gold coins. He replied, I tell you, to everyone who has more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. Now, as for those enemies of mine who did not want me as their king, bring them here and slay them before me.

After he had said this, he proceeded on his journey up to Jerusalem. One of the things that’s tricky about interpreting scripture is sometimes we don’t make a distinction between what Jesus himself says or what Jesus is using someone else to say in a parable to make a point. And this last line that’s in this particular parable is risky because it seems that it might be implying that when Jesus doesn’t get the response from us that he wants, he wants to kill us and see us die before him. And as horrible as that, sounds. I’ve met many people who think that is exactly who God is. If you don’t do what they demand that you do for God, God is ready to kill you, destroy you, send you to hell.

That is not the intention that we see revealed in the teaching of this beautiful man. God in Jesus. Foreign Closing Prayer Father, your message is consistent. Our ability to find it in scriptures is often hidden by the fact that we don’t fully understand the context or where you are or what you are saying and what you mean to say and what you mean for people to hear. So bless us with wisdom to not only listen to these stories, but more importantly, to listen to you as you speak to us in our hearts. And we ask this in Jesus name, Amen.