Readings (Year A):
Proverbs 31:10–13, 19–20, 30–31
Psalm 128:1–2, 3, 4–5
1 Thessalonians 5:1–6
Matthew 25:14–30
Reflection: You don’t have to be perfect, but you should try to be wise
When I first read today’s scripture passages, I just did not understand why they belonged together. The reading from the Proverbs describes a woman of worth. Then, Paul is writing to the community at Thessalonica about being children of light. And, finally, in the gospel reading from Matthew, we hear the Parable of the Talents, in which a man entrusts his belongings to three different servants—with varying results.
But then I did notice what appeared to be a common thread linking these three passages. In each case, we seem to be receiving instructions about how to be perfect. The worthy wife is always productive, seeing to each of her husband’s needs without fail. The Thessalonians are told to stay constantly awake, never letting their guard down lest they end up like those who simply can’t avoid disaster. And heaven forbid we have as little investment savvy as the third servant in Matthew’s parable, the one who added nothing to the wealth he was entrusted with.
I don’t know about you, but I struggle sometimes to feel like I am good enough. Messages in advertising are constantly suggesting that I need to change something about myself if I want to be acceptable, and social media regularly shows me all the ways I am not measuring up to others.
Sadly, scripture passages can at times feel like they are in on the plot to make me feel unworthy. Today’s readings are good examples. My tendency often is to come away feeling less than, like I better get busy if I want to make something of myself. Or, worse, sometimes I come away feeling like it’s hopeless—like there’s just no way I will ever be good enough. But that doesn’t line-up with the idea of a God who loves me unconditionally.
So what’s really going on with these scripture passages? Maybe it would be useful for us to dig a little deeper. After all, we know that God created us as humans so that we could have a human experience. And that is an experience that almost never includes perfection.
Let’s start by going back to that reading from Proverbs, with its description of a worthy wife. At first, this passage seems to list all kinds of things a woman needs to do if she wants to be worthy. Taken on its own, without context, this passage could make people—especially women—feel guilty for even the smallest little bit of rest or self-concern. But if we go back to the time this passage was written, around 1300 BC, we discover that the Proverbs was written to pass down knowledge, or wisdom, that helped people survive a period of extreme hardship.
In the passage about the worthy wife, we are hearing a mother instruct her son about the qualities to look for in a companion. It’s not that this companion needs to be perfect, so much as that she should be wise. That’s what’s going to help them survive. In fact, at the end of this passage, the phrase “let her works praise her at the city gates” is a reference to an earlier passage in Proverbs where wisdom is personified as a woman. Proverbs also tells us that wisdom was God’s very first creation. So, in the passage about the worthy wife, we are hearing about a woman who manifests Wisdom through her actions—actions based on the healthy respect she has for God.
Once we understand what’s really going on in this reading, we can view today’s other passages through a completely different lens. Rather than hearing more reasons to beat ourselves up, we can be inspired by the thought that it is very possible to live in a way that allows wisdom to flow through us. Like Paul’s children of light, we can have faith that God will be with us, even when the inevitable disasters strike. And, like Matthew’s first two servants, we can invest our time, energy, and resources without fear, knowing that ultimately God is in control.
If we can set our fears aside, God’s wisdom will be able to flow through us. And that is more valuable than any pearl.
