Bible Diary for October 30th – November 5th

October 30
Sunday

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

1st Reading: Mal 1:14b—2:2b, 8–10
Cursed be the cheater who, after promising me a bull from his herd, sacrifices a stunted animal. For I am a great King and my Name is respected through all the nations, says Yahweh of hosts.

This warning is also for you, priests. If you do not listen to it or concern yourself to glorify my Name, says Yahweh of hosts, I will send the curse on you and curse even your blessings.

But you, says Yahweh of hosts, have strayed from my way, and moreover caused many to stumble because of your teaching. You have broken my covenant with Levi. Therefore I let all the people despise you and consider you unworthy, because you do not follow my ways and you show partiality in your judgments.

Do we not all have the same father? Has the same God not created all of us? Why, then, does each of us betray his brother, defiling the Covenant of our ancestors?

Ps 131:1, 2–3
In you, Lord, I have found my peace.

2nd Reading: 1 Thes 2:7b–9, 13
Brothers and sisters: We were gentle with you, as a nursing mother who feeds and cuddles her baby. And so great is our concern that we are ready to give you, as well as the Gospel, even our very lives, for you have become very dear to us.

Remember our labor and toil; when we preached the Gospel, we worked day and night so as not to be a burden to you.

This is why we never cease giving thanks to God for, on receiving our message, you accepted it, not as human teaching, but as the word of God. That is what it really is, and as such it is at work in you who believe.

Gospel: Mt 23:1–12
Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees have sat down on the chair of Moses. So you shall do and observe all they say, but do not do as they do, for they do not do what they say. They tie up heavy burdens and load them on the shoulders of the people, but they do not even raise a finger to move them. They do everything in order to be seen by people: they wear very wide bands of the Law around their foreheads, and robes with large tassels. They enjoy the first places at feasts and reserved seats in the synagogues, and they like being greeted in the marketplace, and being called ‘Master’ by the people.

“But you, do not let yourselves be called Master, because you have only one Master, and all of you are brothers and sisters. Neither should you call anyone on earth Father, because you have only one Father, he who is in heaven. Nor should you be called Leader, because Christ is the only Leader for you. Let the greatest among you be the Servant of all. For whoever makes himself great shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be made great.”

REFLECTION
For whoever makes himself great shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be made great. God is great because He is humble and just. That’s the wisdom of Christ’s Kenosis. Humility is the mother of all virtues. Let us pray for and practice humility. What makes us proud and haughty? What can we do to stop ourselves from being so high and mighty?

October 31
Monday

31st Week in Ordinary Time

1st Reading: Rom 11:29–36
Brothers and sisters, David says: The call of God and his gifts cannot be nullified.

Through the disobedience of the Jews the mercy of God came to you who did not obey God. They in turn will receive mercy in due time after this disobedience that brought God’s mercy to you. So God has submitted all to disobedience, in order to show his mercy to all.

How deep are the riches, the wisdom and knowledge of God! His decisions cannot be explained, nor his ways understood! Who has ever known God’s thoughts? Who has ever been his adviser? Who has given him something first, so that God had to repay him? For everything comes from him, has been made by him and has to return to him. To him be the glory for ever! Amen.

Ps 69:30–31, 33–34, 36
Lord, in your great love, answer me.

Gospel: Lk 14:12–14
Jesus addressed the man who had invited him and said, “When you give a lunch or a dinner, don’t invite your friends, or your brothers and relatives and wealthy neighbors. For surely they will also invite you in return and you will be repaid. When you give a feast, invite instead the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind. Fortunate are you then, because they can’t repay you; you will be repaid at the Resurrection of the upright.”

REFLECTION
One prides himself at being seated at the presidential table of any banquet. Those getting the prime seats are the important guests. But you’ll never see “the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind” being led to the presidential table. The good news is that Jesus says otherwise. We are told not to invite our brothers, relatives and wealthy neighbors who can give back the favor but instead invite those who are not included in the guest list. We also belong to that group of the poor and crippled; and our names may not be included in the guest list but Jesus Himself is inviting us to His own banquet. We my not be worthy yet we are considered because we are loved. Allow the Lord to invite you and lead you to the presidential table.

November 1
Tuesday

All Saints Day

1st Reading: Rev 7:2–4, 9–14
I saw another angel ascending from the sunrise, carrying the seal of the living God, and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels empowered to harm the earth and the sea, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the servants of our God upon their foreheads.”

After this I saw a great crowd, from every nation, race, people and tongue, standing before the throne and the Lamb, and they cried out with a loud voice, “Who saves but our God who sits on the throne and the Lamb?”

All the angels were around the throne, the elders and the four living creatures; they then bowed before the throne with their faces to the ground to worship God. They said, Amen. Praise, glory, wisdom, thanks, honor, power and strength to our God forever and ever. Amen!

At that moment, one of the elders spoke up and said to me, “Who are these people clothed in white, and where did they come from?” I answered, “Sir, it is you who know this.”

The elder replied, “They are those who have come out of the great persecution; they have washed and made their clothes white in the blood of the Lamb.

Ps 24:1–2, 3–4, 5–6
Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

2nd Reading: 1 Jn 3:1–3
See what singular love the Father has for us: we are called children of God, and we really are. This is why the world does not know us, because it did not know him.

Beloved, we are God’s children and what we shall be has not yet been shown. Yet when he appears in his glory, we know that we shall be like him, for then we shall see him as he is. All who have such a hope try to be pure as he is pure.

Gospel: Mt 5:1–12
Jesus sat down and his disciples gathered around him. Then he spoke and began to teach them:

“Fortunate are those who have the spirit of the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Fortunate are those who mourn, they shall be comforted.

Fortunate are the gentle, they shall possess the land.

Fortunate are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied.

Fortunate are the merciful, for they shall find mercy.

Fortunate are those with a pure heart, for they shall see God.

Fortunate are those who work for peace, they shall be called children of God.

Fortunate are those who are persecuted for the cause of justice, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Fortunate are you, when people insult you and persecute you and speak all kinds of evil against you because you are my followers. Be glad and joyful, for a great reward is kept for you in God.

REFLECTION
What makes the poor blessed? Is it poverty? What makes those mourning blessed? Is it the experience of losing someone? What makes the persecuted blessed? Is it because of suffering? Ask not what makes us blessed but who makes us blessed? And this will lead us to Jesus. It is easy to find Jesus in our comfort, in our riches, in the loving relationship of the family and friends, in serenity and peace. But will it be possible for us to still feel the presence of Jesus, and therefore the blessedness of us all, in the midst of poverty, problems, sufferings and calumnies.

November 2
Wednesday

All Souls Day

1st Reading: Wis 3:1–9
The souls of the just are in the hands of God and no torment shall touch them.

In the eyes of the unwise they appear to be dead. Their glory is held as a disaster; it seems that they lose everything by departing from us, but they are in peace.

Though seemingly they have been punished, immortality was the soul of their hope. After slight affliction will come great blessings, for God has tried them and found them worthy to be with him; after testing them as gold in the furnace, he has accepted them as a holocaust.

At the time of his coming they will shine like sparks that run in the stubble. They will govern nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord will be their king forever.

Those who trust in him will penetrate the truth, those who are faithful will live with him in love, for his grace and mercy are for his chosen ones.

Ps 23:1–3, 3–4, 5, 6
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

2nd Reading: Rom 6:3–9
Don’t you know that in baptism which unites us to Christ we are all baptized and plunged into his death. By this baptism in his death, we were buried with Christ and, as Christ was raised from among the dead by the Glory of the Father, so we begin walking in a new life. It was an image of his death when we were grafted in him, and so we will also share in his resurrection.

We know that our old self was crucified with Christ, so as to destroy what of us was sin, so that we may no longer serve sin—if we are dead, we are no longer in debt to sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe we will also live with him. We know that Christ, once risen from the dead, will not die again and death has no more dominion over him.

Gospel: Mt 25:31–46
Jesus said to his disciples, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory with all his angels, he will sit on the throne of his Glory. All the nations will be brought before him, and as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, so will he do with them, placing the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

“The King will say to those on his right: ‘Come, blessed of my Father! Take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world. For I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me into your house. I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to see me.’

“Then the good people will ask him: ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you food; thirsty and give you drink, or a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to see you?’ The King will answer, ‘Truly, I say to you: whenever you did this to these little ones who are my brothers and sisters, you did it to me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left: ‘Go, cursed people, out of my sight into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels! For I was hungry and you did not give me anything to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink; I was a stranger and you did not welcome me into your house; I was naked and you did not clothe me; I was sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’”

“They, too, will ask: ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, thirsty, naked or a stranger, sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ The King will answer them: ‘Truly, I say to you: whatever you did not do for one of these little ones, you did not do for me.’

“And these will go into eternal punishment, but the just to eternal life.”

REFLECTION
How do we measure the life of a man? When a man dies, what do we remember in him? Every memory that we hold on to are memories of experiences of love with that person: our experience of a loving mother, a caring father, a thoughtful brother or sister or friend. As one song repeatedly says, “How about love? Measure in Love!” How do we keep the memories of our departed loved ones alive in our life? Their legacies of love will forever be kept when we share this same experience of love to others. The only way to give justice to what they have left us is to keep the fire of love for our neighbors burning in our hearts. We celebrate not the death of people but their life lived in love.

November 3
Thursday

31st Week in Ordinary Time

St. Martin de Porres

1st Reading: Rom 14:7–12
Brothers and sisters: None of us lives for himself, nor dies for himself. If we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord. Either in life or in death, we belong to the Lord; It was for this purpose that Christ both died and come to life again to be Lord both of the living and of the dead.

Then you, why do you criticize your brother or sister? And you, why do you despise them? For we will all appear at the tribunal of God. It is written: I swear by myself—word of the Lord—every knee will bend before me, and every tongue shall give glory to God. So each of us will account for himself before God.

Ps 27:1bcde, 4, 13–14
I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.

Gospel: Lk 15:1–10
Tax collectors and sinners were seeking the company of Jesus, all of them eager to hear what he had to say. But the Pharisees and the scribes frowned at this, muttering. “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So Jesus told them this parable:

“Who among you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, will not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and seek out the lost one till he finds it? And finding it, will he not joyfully carry it home on his shoulders? Then he will call his friends and neighbors together and say: ‘Celebrate with me for I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you, just so, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine upright who do not need to repent.

“What woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one, will not light a lamp and sweep the house in a thorough search till she finds the lost coin? And finding it, she will call her friends and neighbors and say: ‘Celebrate with me for I have found the silver coin I lost!’ I tell you, in the same way there is rejoicing among the angels of God over one repentant sinner.”

REFLECTION
The world of business will find it illogical and impractical to leave the 99 sheep to look for a lost one but a good shepherd will do otherwise. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, will look for the lost sheep for two reasons: First, because he loves the lost sheep. Second, because he loves the 99 sheep that were left on the hillside. He will look for the lost sheep because the lost sheep needs a home. He needs a community. Jesus will leave the 99 sheep for their sake because Jesus knows that with the absence of the lost sheep, the 99 sheep will feel incomplete. When a member of the community is lost, we feel the space, we feel the loss. We are also affected. We are hurt and we also need healing. We also need reconciliation. A family, a community will never be the same with the absence of the lost sheep.

November 4
Friday

31st Week in Ordinary Time

St. Charles Borromeo

1st Reading: Rom 15:14–21
As for me, brothers and sisters, I am convinced that you have goodwill, knowledge and the capacity to advise each other; nevertheless I have written boldly in some parts of this letter to remind you of what you already know. I do this according to the grace God has given to me when I was sent to the pagan nations. I dedicated myself to the service of the Good News of God as a minister of Christ Jesus, in order to present the non-Jews to God as an agreeable offering consecrated by the Holy Spirit. This service of God is for me a cause of pride in Christ Jesus.

Of course, I would not dare to speak of other things but what Christ himself has done through me, my words and my works, with miracles and signs, by the power of the Holy Spirit—so that non-Jews may obey the faith. In this way I have extended the Good News to all parts, from Jerusalem to Illiricum.

I have been very careful, however, and I am proud of this, not to preach in places where Christ is already known, and not to build upon foundations laid by others. Let it be as Scripture says: Those not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.

Ps 98:1, 2–3ab, 3cd–4
The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.

Gospel: Lk 16:1–8
Jesus told his disciples, “There was a rich man whose steward was reported to him for fraudulent service. He summoned the steward and asked him: ‘What is this I hear about you? I want you to render an account of your service for it is about to be terminated.’

“The steward thought to himself: ‘What am I to do now? My master will surely dismiss me. I am not strong enough to do hard work, and I am ashamed to beg. I know what I will do: I must make sure that when I am dismissed, there will be some people to welcome me into their house.’ “So he called his master’s debtors one by one. He asked the first who came: ‘How much do you owe my master?’ The reply was: ‘A hundred jars of oil.’ The steward said: ‘Here is your bill. Sit down quickly and write there fifty.’ To the second he put the same question: ‘How much do you owe?’ The answer was: ‘A thousand bushels of wheat.’ Then he said: ‘Take your bill and write eighty.’ “The master commended the dishonest steward for his astuteness. For the people of this world are more astute in dealing with their own kind than are the people of light.”

REFLECTION
The dishonest steward was commended by Jesus for his astuteness. To be astute in this world is to be cunning, shrewd, clever and smart. It may be a value of the world yet people of light can learn something from the steward’s astuteness. In order to assure himself of a good life after his dismissal, the steward did a lot of undoing in the debts of the people. People who are nearing their end wishes to undo many things that they have done: people who need to be forgiven, sins that needs to be confessed, unsettled issues that need closure, personal baggage that needs to be unloaded, relationships that have to be fixed, strayed life that ought to be straightened. We might not have enough time to undo things before our dismissal. Why not start doing things rightly?

November 5
Saturday

31st Week in Ordinary Time

1st Reading: Rom 16:3–9, 16, 22–27
Brothers and sisters: Greetings to Prisca and Aquilas, my helpers in Christ Jesus. To save my life, they risked theirs; I am very grateful to them, as are all the churches of the pagan nations. Greetings also to the church that meets in their house. Greetings to my dear Epaenetus, the first in the province of Asia to believe in Christ. Greet Mary, who worked so much for you.

Greetings to Andronicus and Junias, my relatives and companions in prison; they are well known apostles and served Christ before I did.

Give greetings to Ampliatus, whom I love so much in the Lord. Greetings to Urbanus, our fellow worker, and to my dear Stachys. Greetings to Apelles, who suffered for Christ, and the family of Aristobulus.

Ps 145:2–3, 4–5, 10–11
I will praise your name for ever, Lord.

Gospel: Lk 16:9–15
Jesus said to his disciples, “And so I tell you: use filthy money to make friends for yourselves, so that when it fails, these people may welcome you into the eternal homes.

“Whoever can be trusted in little things can also be trusted in great ones; whoever is dishonest in slight matters will also be dishonest in greater ones. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling filthy money, who could entrust you with true wealth? And if you have not been trustworthy with things that are not really yours, who will give you the wealth which is your own?

“No servant can serve two masters. Either he does not like the one and is fond of the other, or he regards one highly and the other with contempt. You cannot give yourself both to God and to Money.”

The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and sneered at Jesus. He said to them, “You do your best to be considered righteous by people. But God knows the heart, and what rises high among humans is loathed by God.”

REFLECTION
A novice was tasked to make sure that everything in the refectory is in order. He made sure that food and drinks were well prepared and that the dining hall was always clean. One day, the novice master was making a glass of juice when he noticed that there was no sugar in the canister. During meal time, he asked his novices “Brothers if you cannot fill the container with sugar, how can you manage even a small parish? If you cannot serve your brothers in the community, how can you serve hundreds of people in the parish?” One does not need a special skill to fill the container with sugar yet there’s wisdom in the words of the old novice master. Whoever can be trusted in little things can also be trusted in big ones.