The Daily Gospel for Saturday, 7 November 2015

The Daily Gospel for Saturday, 7 November 2015
"Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."[John 6:68]
Saturday of the Thirty-first week in Ordinary Time
Saints of the day:

St. Willibrord, Bishop (657-739)

SAINT WILLIBRORD
Bishop
(657-739)

Willibrord was born in Northumberland in 657, and when twenty years old went to Ireland, to study under St. Egbert; twelve years later, he felt drawn to convert the great pagan tribes who were hanging as a cloud over the north of Europe.

He went to Rome for the blessing of the Pope, and with eleven companions reached Utrecht. The pagans would not accept the religion of their enemies, the Franks; and St. Willibrord could only labor in the track of Pepin Heristal, converting the tribes whom Pepin subjugated.

At Pepin's urgent request, he again went to Rome, and was consecrated Archbishop of Utrecht. He was stately and comely in person, frank and joyous, wise in counsel, pleasant in speech, in every work of God strenuous and unwearied. Multitudes were converted, and the Saint built churches and appointed priests all over the land. He wrought many miracles, and bad the gift of prophecy.

He labored unceasingly as bishop for more than fifty years, beloved alike of God and of man, and died full of days and good works.

Lives of the Saints, by Alban Butler, Benziger Bros. ed. [1894]
Saint Carina & her Companions
TODAY'S SAINT (Carina and Her Companions)
CARINA AND HER COMPANIONS
Martyrs
Nothing is known about this saint (also called Cassina) apart from the Acts of her martyrdom. In the year 360, at the time of Emperor Julian the Apostate in the city of Ankara, she and her husband Antonius as well as her thirteen-year-old son Melasippus were arrested on account of their Christian Faith.
The local autorities, as was the custom in such matters, endeavored to sway them from their devotion to the true God by means of cruel and inhuman tortures. But, aided by grace from on high, the three Christians remmained unswerving in their allegiance and steadfast in their Faith. they thus attained the crown of martyrdom and went on to receive their heavenly reward from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ whom they had so closely followed on earth.
PRAYER
God, You surround and protect us by the glorious confession of St. Carina and her Companions. Help us to profit from their example and be supported by their prayers. Amen.

Feast: November 7
Saint Melasippus
Feastday: November 7
Death: 360
Martyr with Carina, his wife, and Anthony, their son. They suffered at Ancyra. Melasippus and Carina died under torture. Anthony was beheaded.
Saturday of the Thirty-first week in Ordinary Time
The Letter to the Romans 16:3 Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers for the Messiah Yeshua. 4 They risked their necks to save my life; not only I thank them, but also all the Messianic communities among the Gentiles. 5 And give my greetings to the congregation that meets in their house.

Give my greetings to my dear friend Epaenetus, who was the first person in the province of Asia to put his trust in the Messiah.

6 Give my greetings to Miryam, who has worked very hard for you.

7 Greetings to Andronicus and Junia, relatives of mine who were in prison with me. They are well known among the emissaries; also they came to trust in the Messiah before I did.

8 Greetings to Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord.

9 Greetings to Urbanus, our fellow worker for the Messiah, and to my dear friend Stachys.

16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the Messiah’s congregations send their greetings to you.

22 I, Tertius, the one writing down this letter, greet you in the Lord.

23 My host Gaius, in whose home the whole congregation meets, greets you. Erastus the city treasurer and brother Quartus greet you. 24 [Romans 16:24 Some manuscripts have verse 24: The grace of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah be with you all. Amen.]

25 Now to God, who can strengthen you, according to my Good News,

in harmony with the revelation of the secret truth

which is the proclamation of Yeshua the Messiah,

kept hidden in silence for ages and ages,

26 but manifested now through prophetic writings,

in keeping with the command of God the Eternal,

and communicated to all the Gentiles

to promote in them trust-grounded obedience —

27 to the only wise God, through Yeshua the Messiah,

be the glory forever and ever!

Amen.

Psalm 145:

2 Every day I will bless you;

I will praise your name forever and ever.

3 Great is Adonai and greatly to be praised;

his greatness is beyond all searching out.

4 Each generation will praise your works to the next

and proclaim your mighty acts.

5 I will meditate on the glorious splendor

of your majesty and on the story of your wonders.

10 All your creatures will thank you, Adonai,

and your faithful servants will bless you.

11 They will speak of the glory of your kingship,

and they will tell about your might;

The Holy Gospel of Yeshua the Messiah according to Saint Luke 16:9 “Now what I say to you is this: use worldly wealth to make friends for yourselves, so that when it gives out, you may be welcomed into the eternal home. 10 Someone who is trustworthy in a small matter is also trustworthy in large ones, and someone who is dishonest in a small matter is also dishonest in large ones. 11 So if you haven’t been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who is going to trust you with the real thing? 12 And if you haven’t been trustworthy with what belongs to someone else, who will give you what ought to belong to you? 13 No servant can be slave to two masters, for he will either hate the first and love the second, or scorn the second and be loyal to the first. You can’t be a slave to both God and money.”

14 The P’rushim heard all this, and since they were money-lovers, they ridiculed him. 15 He said to them, “You people make yourselves look righteous to others, but God knows your hearts; what people regard highly is an abomination before God!

Saturday of the Thirty-first week in Ordinary Time

Commentary of the day:

Saint Gregory Nazianzen (330-390), Bishop and Doctor of the Church 

Homily 14, On love for the poor, § 23-25 ; PG 35,887 

"The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones"

You should know where your own existence comes from, breath, intellect, and what is most precious of all: knowledge of God; from where comes hope of the kingdom of heaven and of beholding the glory that, at present, you see only dimly as in a mirror but that, tomorrow, you will see in all its purity and brilliance (1Cor 13,12). From whence does it come that you are a child of God, inheritor along with Christ (Rom 8,16-17) and, dare I say it, that you yourself are a god? Where does all this come from, and through whom? 

Again, to speak only of things of lesser importance, those that are obvious: who granted you sight of the beauty of the heavens, the movement of the sun, the cycle of the moon, the countless stars and, in it all, the harmony and order governing them?... Who gave you the rain, the cultivation of the land, food, art, laws, cities, a civilized life, close relationships with people like yourself? 

Isn't it from he who, before all else and in return for all his gifts, requires of you to love humankind?... When he, our God and Lord, is not ashamed to be called our Father, are we going to deny our brethren? No, my brothers and friends, do not let us be dishonest stewards of the good things confided to us.

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