Scripture of the day - 07 November, 2020. Saturday of Week 31| St Willibrord, bishop and missionary (Opt. Mem.)

1st Reading: Philippians 4:10-19

Thanks to the community who helped Paul in his imprisonment

I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now, at last, you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned for me but had no opportunity to show it. Not that I am referring to being in need; for I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. In any case, it was kind of you to share my distress.

You Philippians indeed know that in the early days of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you alone. For even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me help for my needs more than once. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the profit that accumulates to your account. I have been paid in full and have more than enough; I am fully satisfied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

The Word of the Lord.

Responsorial: from Psalm 111

R./: Happy are those who fear the Lord

Happy the man who fears the Lord,

who takes delight in all his commands.

His sons will be powerful on earth;

the children of the upright are blessed. (R./)

The good man takes pity and lends,

he conducts his affairs with honour,

The just man will never waver:

he will be remembered forever. (R./)

With a steadfast heart, he will not fear.

Open-handed, he gives to the poor;

his justice stands firm forever.

His head will be raised in glory. (R./)

Gospel: Luke 16:9-15

Maxims about worldly goods and the service of God

Jesus said to his disciples: “I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes.”

“Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much, and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this, and they ridiculed him. So he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts; for what is prized by human beings is an abomination in the sight of God.”

The Gospel of the Lord

Reflections - Both givers and receivers

Whereas yesterday’s parable blamed the dishonest steward, today Paul commends his reliable co-workers who played their part in the service of the gospel. Conditions in the prison cell from which he wrote may have been fairly grim. But simply knowing that his friends had not forgotten him was good for his morale. Even while thanking them for sending him a gift, he tells them that he can hold on and cope with his circumstances, both when he has decent food to eat or just go hungry. He has adapted to his environment and even made a virtue out of necessity. Like Paul, we may be embarrassed to need the help of others, but he is gracious in thanking his friends for whatever they have sent him. Their parcel did more than making his prison cell more pleasant; it comforted him to know he was not forgotten, and that they still cared for him.

How aware are we of the needs of other people? We need to be both givers and gracious receivers. After giving what we can to people who need us, we should also cheerfully accept our dependency on others in various ways. What goes around comes around. Long before Karl Mark expressed the human ideal of “To each according to their need; from each according to their ability,” it was clearly there in the teaching of Jesus and of St Paul. The gospel teaches to make charitable use of whatever we have and not be slaves of money. In money matters, what financiers think important may be negligible in the eyes of God. If we are faithful in such small matters, we can look forward to greater things.

Saint of the Day for November 7 | (c. 1400 – November 12, 1463) |Saint Didacus

Didacus is living proof that God “chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.”

As a young man in Spain, Didacus joined the Secular Franciscan Order and lived for some time as a hermit. After Didacus became a Franciscan brother, he developed a reputation for great insight into God’s ways. His penances were heroic. He was so generous with the poor that the friars sometimes grew uneasy about his charity.

Didacus volunteered for the missions in the Canary Islands and laboured there energetically and profitably. He was also the superior of a friary there.

In 1450, he was sent to Rome to attend the canonization of Saint Bernardine of Siena. When many of the friars gathered for that celebration fell ill, Didacus stayed in Rome for three months to nurse them. After he returned to Spain, he pursued a life of contemplation full-time. He showed the friars the wisdom of God’s ways.

As he was dying, Didacus looked at a crucifix and said: “O faithful wood, O precious nails! You have borne an exceedingly sweet burden, for you have been judged worthy to bear the Lord and King of heaven” (Marion A. Habig, OFM, The Franciscan Book of Saints, p. 834).

San Diego, California, is named for this Franciscan, who was canonized in 1588.

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