Daily Gospel
READING OF THE DAY
A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Philippians
PHIL 4:10-19
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.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Luke
LK 16:9-15
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.”
Saturday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
(Luke 16:9-15)
God’s Word for Us
Dear people of God,
The Word of God in today’s Gospel invites everyone: to live righteously before God, and be true in their thoughts, words, actions, and deeds. God knows everyone’s thoughts and actions. God wants people to live true to their hearts because when people live deceptively, they will not have peace of mind. God loves everyone; He has taught everyone how to live to please Him more and more each day.
The Word of God today speaks of the image of faithful, skillful, and wise servants. God invites everyone: when managing property is a grace of God, everyone should be faithful to Him at all times and in all places. Managing faithfully in God’s way means being faithful in fulfilling the duties given by God. For God, to fulfill the God-given duties is to love Him above all things and to love one’s neighbor as oneself. When there is fear and reverence for God, people will not dare to do anything wrong in front of Him. Besides, in order to live what God commanded, which is to love God above all things, one must practice justice and charity towards others. One must love others as oneself and serve others selflessly. For each is a member of the Body of Christ and bears the image of a loving God.
God always wants good things for people. He does not want people to be dependent on the world’s wealth and material things and fall into Satan’s temptation by being greedy for money, position, and fame. God desires people to put God above everything and worship Him alone as the only Master, the Father who always loves, protects, and helps everyone to avoid Satan’s captivity.
The Word of God today speaks of faithful, skillful, and wise servants, along with those who do not know how to do the will of their master, and those who are not pleasing to God. In today’s world, each person bears the image of a servant, a steward of God, so He invites everyone to:
- Live in such a way as to fulfill the duty given by God the Father; by worshiping Him alone, you show respect for God the Father, the only Master of our life.
- Live your life to please Him everywhere and at all times. To please Him in all places and at all times, a servant must always listen, meditate, and practice God’s Word in every thought, word, action, and deed.
- Always be faithful, and loyal to God. He does not want man to fall into the traps of Satan. When man is tempted, he is not awake to his duties to God; rather, he is led to worship materialism, money, honor, and glory of this world, forgetting the Word of God about a loving God.
Therefore, the Word of God today invites everyone: to live wisely, that is, to always honor and fear God, to put God above all things. Everything from our thoughts, words, actions, and deeds in life must be directed to God, so that we will not fall into the temptation of Satan, and will always please God. When you please God in all places and at all times, you will receive God’s credit in heaven, and you will be rewarded with happiness in the eternal Kingdom of Heaven.
Thanks Be to God. Amen.
