DAILY READINGS & REFLECTION
NOVEMBER 11, 2023
SATURDAY OF THE THIRTY-FIRST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
MEMORIAL OF SAINT MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP
FIRST READING
The Word of the Lord
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RESPONSORIAL PSALM
PSALMS 144(145):2-5, 10-11
Response: I will praise thy name for ever, Lord.
and praise thy name for ever and ever.
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised,
and his greatness is unsearchable.
and shall declare thy mighty acts.
On the glorious splendor of thy majesty,
and on thy wondrous works, I will meditate.
R. I will praise thy name for ever, Lord.
and all thy saints shall bless thee!
They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom,
and tell of thy power.
R. I will praise thy name for ever, Lord.
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GOSPEL
Who will entrust to you the true riches?
LUKE 16:9-15
9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal habitations. 10 "He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and he who is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." 14 The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this, and they scoffed at him. 15 But he said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts; for what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God."
The Gospel of the Lord
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REFLECTION
DAILY QUOTE FROM THE EARLY CHURCH FATHERS
Jesus recommends the foresight, prudence, and ingenuity of the steward, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Mammon is the Hebrew word for 'riches,' just as in Punic the word for 'profit' is mammon. What are we to do? What did the Lord command? 'Make yourselves friends with the mammon of iniquity, so that they too, when you begin to fail, may receive you into eternal shelters.' It is easy, of course, to understand that we must give alms and a helping hand to the needy, because Christ receives it in them... We can understand that we have to give alms and that we must not really pick and choose to whom we give them, because we are unable to sift through people's hearts. When you give alms to all different types of people, then you will reach a few who deserve them. You are hospitable, and you keep your house ready for strangers. Let in the unworthy, in case the worthy might be excluded. You cannot be a judge and sifter of hearts."
(excerpt from Sermon 359A.11-12)
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Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)
The Revised Standard Version of the Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1965, 1966 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.