Do not abandon me, O Lord my God, nor be far from me! Come to my aid, O Lord, the strength of my salvation! (Ps 37:22ff)

 

Do not abandon me, O Lord my God, nor be far from me! Come to my aid, O Lord, the strength of my salvation! (Ps 37:22ff)

Amidst the challenges of daily life and the darkness that tries to prevent the light of the Gospel from shining in society, Christians cannot waver for a single second, but must be “smarter” than “the children of this world,” seeking with all their strength to sanctify themselves and to sanctify humanity with divine wisdom.

First Reading: Philippians 3:17-4:1

A reading from the letter of Saint Paul to the Philippians – 17Fellow imitators of me, brothers, and mark those who walk according to the example we give you. 18I have told you often enough, and now I say it again even weeping, that there are many out there who behave as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, their glory is in their shame, and their minds are set on earthly things. 20But we are citizens of heaven, and from there we await our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. 21He will transform our lowly body into conformity with his glorious body, by the power by which he is able even to subdue all things to himself. 4:1Therefore, my brothers and sisters whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, my friends, stand firm in the Lord. – The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm: 121(122)

How I rejoiced when they said to me, / “Let us go to the house of the Lord!”

1. How I rejoiced when they said to me, / “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” / And now our feet have set foot within your gates, Jerusalem. – R.

2. Jerusalem, a city well built, / in harmony with one another; / there the tribes of Israel go up, / the tribes of the Lord. – R.

3. To praise, according to the law of Israel, / the name of the Lord. / The seat of justice is there / and the throne of David. – R.

Gospel: Luke 16,1-8

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

The love of God is fulfilled in everyone who faithfully keeps his word (1 John 2,5). – R.

Proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ according to Luke – At that time, 1Jesus said to his disciples: “A rich man had a steward who was accused of squandering his property. 2He called him in and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you are no longer able to manage my property.’ 3The steward then began to think to himself, ‘You are going to take the stewardship away from me. What shall I do? I have no strength to dig; I am ashamed to beg. 4Ah! I know what to do, so that someone will welcome me into his house when I am removed from the management.’ 5Then he called each of those who owed his master. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6He answered, ‘A hundred measures of oil!’ The manager said, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly and write fifty!’ 7Then he asked another, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’ He answered, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ The manager said, ‘Take your bill and write eighty.’ 8Then the master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. Indeed, the children of this world are more shrewd in their dealings than the children of light.” – Word of salvation.

Reflection:

Exclusive to Luke, the parable of the dishonest manager wants to alert us to the way we are “managing” the things of the Kingdom of God. Above all, Jesus teaches us to make good use of money. One should not idolize the “god of money” (v. 13), nor become its slave. It was not made to be accumulated selfishly, nor to be transformed into warehouses full of merchandise (cf. Lk 12:18). Money exists to circulate and benefit the community. What the master praises in this unscrupulous manager is his cleverness in resolving his complicated situation in the short term. The owner admires his ability to make quick decisions. This is the behavior that Jesus wants to find in his disciples, that is, a firm commitment to practicing justice and mercy.

(Daily with the Gospel 2024)