Faith Daily | 5 November 2022

PRAYER of the DAY - APBA p598

God our Father,

whose will it is to bring all things

to order and unity in our Lord Jesus Christ:

may all the peoples of the world,

now divided and torn apart by sin,

be brought together under his sovereign rule of love;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

GOSPEL for the Day: Luke 16: 9-15

9And 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. 10“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. 11If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? 13No 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.” 14The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this, and they ridiculed him. 15So 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.

GOSPEL REFLECTION: Meredith Scott-McMahon

On first reading, this is such a puzzling passage when taken as a sequitur to Luke 1-8! But if I measure the story against my knowledge of Jesus, I can depend the message will be in keeping with His nature.

So I look for that kernel that will give me direction. Who is my friend? The story of the Good Samaritan immediately springs to mind, and I can equate my friend with my neighbour, one who is in need.

Money in itself is not the root of all evil, but the love of it is. Jesus warns us against being distracted from our real mission by material things. In the west we have so much in comparison with millions in developing nations. Can we be trusted with the wealth we have? Will we hear that cry for help if we have cushioned our lives with comfort and the things the world tells us we need?

So what is our first motivation as Christian people? Richard Rohr would say that our devotion to Christ, particularly through prayer and contemplation, increases compassion that in turn leads to action. When closely in relationship with God, we become much more aware of the need not only around us but world-wide.

To me, this is the challenge: to build the discipline of prayer and meditation through which Christ can turn my more selfish motives around to His service.

FINAL PRAYER

God, who is greater than our hearts, help us to serve one another, to reveal our faith through action, by abiding in your love.

Amen.