Roman Catholic The Word Among Us Daily Mass Reading & Daily Meditation for Saturday, 8 November 2014

Roman Catholic The Word Among Us Daily Mass Reading & Daily Meditation for Saturday, 8 November 2014
Meditation: Philippians 4: Content Whatever the Circumstances
10-14 I’m glad in God, far happier than you would ever guess—happy that you’re again showing such strong concern for me. Not that you ever quit praying and thinking about me. You just had no chance to show it. Actually, I don’t have a sense of needing anything personally. I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. I don’t mean that your help didn’t mean a lot to me—it did. It was a beautiful thing that you came alongside me in my troubles.
15-17 You Philippians well know, and you can be sure I’ll never forget it, that when I first left Macedonia province, venturing out with the Message, not one church helped out in the give-and-take of this work except you. You were the only one. Even while I was in Thessalonica, you helped out—and not only once, but twice. Not that I’m looking for handouts, but I do want you to experience the blessing that issues from generosity.
18-20 And now I have it all—and keep getting more! The gifts you sent with Epaphroditus were more than enough, like a sweet-smelling sacrifice roasting on the altar, filling the air with fragrance, pleasing God no end. You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus. Our God and Father abounds in glory that just pours out into eternity. Yes.

Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary

I am eager for the profit that accrues to your account. (Philippians 4:17)
Many cultures take gift giving very seriously. The Japanese are a prime example. In Japan, you are expected to bring a gift when visiting someone. You should present your gift modestly, using both hands and saying something like, “This is really nothing, but …” Moreover, when receiving a gift, it’s considered polite to refuse it two or three times before finally accepting it. These customs may seem strange to people from other cultures, but they convey the idea that the mere gesture of giving is just as important as the gift itself.
Paul is saying something similar when he tells the Philippians that he doesn’t need their money, even though he is glad to have it. Paul is clearly self-sufficient and doesn’t need anyone to hold his hand! He left home when young to study under the great rabbi Gamaliel. Then, when he became an apostle, he supported himself by making tents rather than rely on people’s donations (Acts 18:3; 22:3).
So when Paul says, “I am eager for the profit that accrues to your account” (Philippians 4:17), he isn’t thanking the Philippians so much for covering his expenses, as for meeting their own spiritual needs!
It may clarify this point to think about what happens at Mass. There we offer gifts of bread and wine to God, as well as our financial gifts. We do so in a spirit of humility, recognizing that God doesn’t need them. Try to imagine God, out of a desire to be polite, saying, “That’s very generous, but you didn’t need to bring me anything. I just enjoy having you with me. Your presence is gift enough.” But then he accepts your gift happily and uses it to build up his Church. Your generosity, your care for his people in need, fills him with delight.
With that in mind, try to get to Mass a little early tomorrow so you can spend a few minutes in silent prayer. Offer Jesus everything you can think of: your work, your vocation, your finances, your struggles and pains, your loved ones, even your enemies! Honor him with your gifts, just as you would do for a good friend, and know that he is smiling on you.
“Take, Lord; receive the gift of my life.” Amen!
Psalm 112:1-10 Hallelujah!
Blessed man, blessed woman, who fear God,
Who cherish and relish his commandments,
Their children robust on the earth,
And the homes of the upright—how blessed!
Their houses brim with wealth
And a generosity that never runs dry.
Sunrise breaks through the darkness for good people—
God’s grace and mercy and justice!
The good person is generous and lends lavishly;
No shuffling or stumbling around for this one,
But a sterling and solid and lasting reputation.
Unfazed by rumor and gossip,
Heart ready, trusting in God,
Spirit firm, unperturbed,
Ever blessed, relaxed among enemies,
They lavish gifts on the poor—
A generosity that goes on, and on, and on.
An honored life! A beautiful life!
Someone wicked takes one look and rages,
Blusters away but ends up speechless.
There’s nothing to the dreams of the wicked. Nothing.
Luke 16:8-9 “Now here’s a surprise: The master praised the crooked manager! And why? Because he knew how to look after himself. Streetwise people are smarter in this regard than law-abiding citizens. They are on constant alert, looking for angles, surviving by their wits. I want you to be smart in the same way—but for what is right—using every adversity to stimulate you to creative survival, to concentrate your attention on the bare essentials, so you’ll live, really live, and not complacently just get by on good behavior.”
God Sees Behind Appearances
10-13 Jesus went on to make these comments:
If you’re honest in small things,
    you’ll be honest in big things;
If you’re a crook in small things,
    you’ll be a crook in big things.
If you’re not honest in small jobs,
    who will put you in charge of the store?
No worker can serve two bosses:
    He’ll either hate the first and love the second
Or adore the first and despise the second.
    You can’t serve both God and the Bank.
14-18 When the Pharisees, a money-obsessed bunch, heard him say these things, they rolled their eyes, dismissing him as hopelessly out of touch. So Jesus spoke to them: “You are masters at making yourselves look good in front of others, but God knows what’s behind the appearance.
What society sees and calls monumental,
    God sees through and calls monstrous.
God’s Law and the Prophets climaxed in John;
Now it’s all kingdom of God—the glad news
    and compelling invitation to every man and woman.
The sky will disintegrate and the earth dissolve
    before a single letter of God’s Law wears out.
Using the legalities of divorce
    as a cover for lust is adultery;
Using the legalities of marriage
    as a cover for lust is adultery.
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