The Word Among Us: A Catholic Devotional based on the Daily Mass Reading & Meditation for Saturday, November 7, 2015
Meditation: 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!
Common of the Blessed Virgin MaryNo servant can serve two masters. (Luke 16:13).
Have you ever heard the expression “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket”? Well, in typical fashion, that’s pretty much what Jesus is asking us to do in this passage. He is exhorting his disciples, and anyone else who will listen, to give themselves to God first and foremost.
What keeps us from doing that? It might be a number of things, but underlying most of our concerns is doubt—doubt that Jesus’ basket is big enough to hold all our dreams and needs or that the basket has holes or that Jesus might drop it. Our doubts try to pull us in different directions. We might be tempted to look to other things for happiness or support. Yet in the midst of our doubts, Jesus reveals more about who he is so that we can take one more step toward having a completely trusting heart.
Are you struggling with doubts right now? Maybe you’re facing a major decision, and you don’t know how to choose. Or you might have waited on the Lord for an answer to prayer for a long, long time and have yet to see any change. Well, you’re in very good company. Many people in the Scriptures doubted, from as early as Abraham and his wife, Sarah, right through to the apostles. Yet in all of these cases, God responded to their doubts, and, in the process, revealed his faithfulness.
Take, for example, Peter’s attempt to walk on water (Matthew 14:22-33). He was all set to step out of the boat, and he even succeeded until he looked at the waves and doubted. But where was Peter trying to go? To Jesus. And where did he end up? With Jesus! He may have had a rough time along the way, but that’s how he learned that Jesus would lift him up whenever he floundered.
So yes, the Lord wants us to put aside our doubts, but he wants us to do it by remembering who he is. He is always faithful. He is always with you. Right here, right now, he is reaching out his hand to grasp you and steady you. Yes, he is worth putting all your eggs in one basket!
“Lord Jesus, help me to put my doubts aside and follow you with all my heart.” Amen!
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;
____________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment