Saturday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
November 6, 2021
Saturday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 490
Reading I
Brothers and sisters:
Greet Prisca and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus,
who risked their necks for my life,
to whom not only I am grateful but also all the churches of the Gentiles;
greet also the Church at their house.
Greet my beloved Epaenetus,
who was the firstfruits in Asia for Christ.
Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you.
Greet Andronicus and Junia,
my relatives and my fellow prisoners;
they are prominent among the Apostles
and they were in Christ before me.
Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord.
Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ,
and my beloved Stachys.
Greet one another with a holy kiss.
All the churches of Christ greet you.
I, Tertius, the writer of this letter, greet you in the Lord.
Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole Church, greets you.
Erastus, the city treasurer,
and our brother Quartus greet you.
Now to him who can strengthen you,
according to my Gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ,
according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret for long ages
but now manifested through the prophetic writings and,
according to the command of the eternal God,
made known to all nations to bring about the obedience of faith,
to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ
be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Responsorial Psalm
- (1b) I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
Every day will I bless you,
and I will praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable.
R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
Generation after generation praises your works
and proclaims your might.
They speak of the splendor of your glorious majesty
and tell of your wondrous works.
R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
Alleluia
- Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus Christ became poor although he was rich,
so that by his poverty you might become rich.
R. Alleluia, 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.”
Reflection: TRUST-DEFICIT
The world reels under 'trust-deficit'. In different walks of life people are afraid of each other because of this 'trust-deficit'. Is it possible to trust about the status of COVID19 in India and the politicians? Is it possible to trust the social media? Each wants to make sure his or her agenda is served more than speaking the truth. When truth is hidden, trust-deficit cannot but be. That is reason at present, there is trust-deficit among friends, between spouses, between parents and the children. Who is a trustworthy person? The one who is willing to stick his neck out and speak what is true. The one who doesn't camouflage truth or give it a sugar coating. Why is that we are not able to speak the truth? Often there is an element of selfishness in every untruth. Truth serves the cause and untruth serves oneself. Now, when people see persons in authority do not speak the truth and do not keep their word or say a gross lie, then they lose the confidence of the people. It would be difficult to win the confidence once it is lost. Making ourselves trustworthy in the things of this world, in our relationships, in our dealings with the affairs of the world, would make that person fit to handle spiritual realities. People who have evoked such confidence in others need not speak much about God. “No one can serve two masters. You will hate the one and love the other”. Jesus is a master psychologist as well. He knows that if one is fully with money, his allegiance will be with those with money. Their talk about God and spiritual things would be centered around money and personal advantages. The term 'transparency' is used in the place of 'trustworthiness' today. The church authorities sadly have been accused of not giving proper accounts to the people. In such situations, people stop contributing to the church. Besides, they do not trust in our preaching.