Friday, November 10, 2006
Memorial, St. Martin of Tours, bishop
November 11, 2006
Memorial, St. Martin of Tours, bishop
Saturday 31st Week in Ordinary Time - Yr II
PHILIPPIANS 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.
LUKE 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."
REFLECTION
Is Jesus presenting to us an unattainable ideal? Is he urging us to
take on ourselves a life-style that in modern society it's impossible
to live out? Not at all.
Jesus is condemning here neither the possession nor the use of money
and material things. Many people insist that the saying, "Money is
the root of all evil," is found in the Bible. It's not. Paul,
however, in his letter to Timothy, the young bishop in the early
Church, does remark, "the love of money is the root of all evil."
"The love of money" and "money" do not mean the same thing.
Paul, after all, in today's first reading thanks the Philippians for
the financial support they have sent him.
It is not money that Jesus condemns, but the making of money into an
idol, a false god we worship, dedicating all our time and effort to its
pursuit, so lusting for it that its pursuit relegates to secondary
importance all else in our lives, all else - family, friends,
integrity, faith, even God himself.
As Jesus points out, God and material success cannot coexist in us as
equals. One, to the exclusion of the other, will exercise dominion over
us. It's impossible to keep the two in perfect balance. It's true
therefore that we cannot serve God and money. But it's quite
legitimate to make use of money in the service of God, to serve God
with money. The married couple has a religious duty to use money in the
support and development of their children.
In our world where materialism and consumerism are gods and powerfully
seductive idols, we constantly have to question ourselves: do we make
the acquisition of wealth a goal in itself or a means to a higher goal?
PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray ...
- for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn.
- for the speedy recovery of Adeliada G. Imperial.
- for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Fr. Peter Chuang, S.J.
- Birthday: Barbara Lam Lim
- In Memoriam (+): Ng Cen
- for world peace and reconciliation.
Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our
prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.
Have a good day!
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