Saturday - November 05, 2022
Every creature, whether it will or not, is subject to the one God and Lord; but a warning is given to us, to serve the Lord with our whole will, because the just man serves Him willingly, but the unjust serves Him as a slave.
--Saint Augustine
TODAY'S READINGS
Saturday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 490
Reading I
Brothers and sisters:
I rejoice greatly in the Lord
that now at last you revived your concern for me.
You were, of course, concerned about me but lacked an opportunity.
Not that I say this because of need,
for I have learned, in whatever situation I find myself,
to be self-sufficient.
I know indeed how to live in humble circumstances;
I know also how to live with abundance.
In every circumstance and in all things
I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry,
of living in abundance and of being in need.
I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me.
Still, it was kind of you to share in my distress.
You Philippians indeed know that at the beginning of the Gospel,
when I left Macedonia,
not a single church shared with me
in an account of giving and receiving, except you alone.
For even when I was at Thessalonica
you sent me something for my needs,
not only once but more than once.
It is not that I am eager for the gift;
rather, I am eager for the profit that accrues to your account.
I have received full payment and I abound.
I am very well supplied because of what I received from you
through Epaphroditus,
“a fragrant aroma,” an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.
My God will fully supply whatever you need,
in accord with his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
Responsorial Psalm
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
Blessed the man who fears the LORD,
who greatly delights in his commands.
His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth;
the upright generation shall be blessed.
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
Well for the man who is gracious and lends,
who conducts his affairs with justice;
He shall never be moved;
the just one shall be in everlasting remembrance.
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear.
Lavishly he gives to the poor;
his generosity shall endure forever;
his horn shall be exalted in glory.
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus Christ became poor although he was rich,
So that by his poverty you might become rich.
R. Alleluia
Gospel
Jesus said to his disciples:
“I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth,
so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
The person who is trustworthy in very small matters
is also trustworthy in great ones;
and the person who is dishonest in very small matters
is also dishonest in great ones.
If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth,
who will trust you with true wealth?
If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another,
who will give you what is yours?
No servant can serve two masters.
He will either hate one and love the other,
or be devoted to one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and mammon.”
The Pharisees, who loved money,
heard all these things and sneered at him.
And he said to them,
“You justify yourselves in the sight of others,
but God knows your hearts;
for what is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God.”
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What does Jesus mean by “dishonest wealth”?
To “make friends with dishonest wealth” does not mean “feel good about stealing.” We need to see this Saturday’s Gospel reading in the context of the parable he told immediately before:
A rich man had a steward who was squandering his property, so he decided to fire him. The steward wondered, “What shall I do now? I know! I’ll make friends with my master’s debtors so that they will welcome me into their homes when I can’t afford food and shelter.” So he met with them, one by one, and handed them their promissory notes in exchange for half of what they owed. And the master, knowing that half was better than nothing, commended the dishonest steward.
In other words, we who are followers of Christ have been put in charge of his property. Some of us are good stewards in carrying out his mission and some of us are not. Most of us could do a whole lot better than we are.
A friend once told me about a horrible scene he witnessed at a healing service. There was a long line of people waiting for the priest to pray over them when a man helped his elderly mother walk past everyone. The good son asked the priest if he would pray over his mom right away because she was tired and frail and needed to go home to bed. Before the priest could respond, a man near the front of the line scolded them.
“How dare you cut in line!” He snarled. “I’ve been waiting and it’s my turn next. You go to the back of the line where you belong!”
I wonder if he wondered why he didn’t get the healing he asked for. Jesus said that with the measure we use, it will be measured to us (Matthew 7:2). Need a healing? How much have you helped others heal? Need divine intervention in a difficult problem? How much have you helped others receive God’s intervention as his helping hands and voice? Praying for a solution to a financial problem? How generous have you been toward others — how much have you sacrificed for them?
The “dishonest wealth” of which Jesus speaks is anything worldly that can be turned into a blessing. We can let it lead us to compromises that hurt our relationship with Christ or we can use it in ways that lead others to Christ. For example, the internet is rich in hatred, immorality, anti-Christian messages, and every other sort of evil. But we use the internet to build faith.
“Honest wealth” is anything that comes from God: wisdom, healings, money, etc. Even the money we earn comes from God, because he gave us the ability to earn it.
He wants us to be good stewards of his gifts. When we benefit from his riches, that’s only the first step, not the final step. He gave it to us so we can become distributors of his wealth. What are you rich in today?
God Bless You.....
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