Reflection for Saturday, 31st Week in Ordinary Time

By


Fr. Aloysius Santiago sdb
Rector and Parish Priest
Don Bosco Shrine
Lingarajapuram, Bangalore

Today's Word

Luke 16: 13

No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

Today's Reflection

The Context:

After Telling the Parable of the Shrewd Steward as an Example of Shrewdness & as a Warning against Using Unjust Means for Gain, JESUS Advises HIS Listeners to Make Friends with the Poor by Almsgiving & to be Faithful & Honest in the Little Things Entrusted to Them by GOD.

The Teaching:

JESUS Advised HIS Followers to Imitate the Shrewd Steward who Used Money Generously to Make Friends for Himself. JESUS Suggests that HIS Disciples should Show Their Generosity & Mercy by Almsgiving: “Sell Your Possessions & Give Alms” (Luke 12: 33). The Recipients Immediately become Friends of the Kind Donor. It is GOD'S Generosity which makes One Rich, &, hence, the Money We have is Unrighteous in the Sense that It is Unwanted & Undeserved. So, GOD Expects Us to be Generous Stewards of HIS Generous Blessings. Generosity Curtails Our Natural Greed, making Almsgiving an Act of Thanksgiving to GOD for HIS Generosity. Then JESUS Tells Us that what We get in Heaven will Depend on how We have Used the Things of the Earth & on how Faithful We have been in the Little Things Entrusted to Us.

A Slave is the Exclusive Property of His Master, & Our Master, GOD, is the most Exclusive of Masters. So, Serving HIM Cannot Be a Part-Time Job or Spare-Time Hobby; It is Full-Time Job.

Life Messages:

1) We Need to Share Our Blessings with Others. Since all Our Blessings are GOD'S Generous Loans to Us, We Need to be Equally Generous with Others.

2) We Need to Serve GOD Full-Time: Since GOD Owns Us Totally, We are Expected to be at HIS Service Doing HIS Holy Will All the Time. Hence, There is No such Thing as a Part-Time Christian.

Good morning.

Wishing you a peaceful, safe, happy day and a wonderful weekend.

GOD Bless Us All