Saturday of the 31st week in ordinary time year A
Rom. 16:3-9.16.22-27 Luke 16:9-15
Theme: Appreciation
Today the church celebrates the memorial of St. Martin of Tours, a Bishop, he was also known as Martin the merciful. This was because of his way of life and his attachment to the poor and less privileged people. He expressed his love for the poor when he cut his cloth in half and gave it to the poor man that was naked on the road. In his life we see Christian charity and mercy for the poor and less privileged. Today as we celebrate him, we are all encouraged to imbibe his wonderful spirit of love and mercy and practice them in our daily lives. These are wonderful attributes that are needed in our lives and in the society in which we live. The more we make honest effort to emulate the saints we celebrate in the church, the closer we get to the kingdom of God. So, the more we practice their wonderful virtues in our own lives, the better Christians we will become, and that is very important to all of us as children of God.
In the 1st reading of today from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, we see Paul showing appreciation to his fellow companions in the ministry of Christ. He understands that his success story will not be complete without all these wonderful people who have contributed towards the success of his missionary journey. This is one of the ways through which you can know a person who is selfless and not arrogant. Given this same situation for some of us, we would prefer to take all the glory that emanates from the ministry, instead of appreciating all those who made our success story complete. The attitude of St. Paul in todays 1st reading is saying a lot to all of us as children of God. Learn to appreciate people who have supported you in one way or the other to make your work a success. It does not take away anything from you or make you less who you are, it rather presents you as a wonderful person. As you celebrate your success in life, learn to always appreciate all those who may have made contributions towards your success in one way or the other.
In the gospel reading of today, Jesus makes it very clear that nobody can serve two masters and serve them equally. So, make a choice today whether you will serve God or Mammon? It is a choice that is completely personal, and everyone will make his own decision. However, as children of God, we are all encouraged to choose God over any other thing in this world. As you do this, may almighty God bless you in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit. Amen. Peace be with you.