Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection November 04, 2024
Thirty-First Week of Ordinary Time
04th November 2024 (Monday)
Psalter: Week 3
Readings of the Day
First Reading: Philippians 2:1-4
Brethren: If there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Psalm 131:1, 2, 3
R/. Keep my soul in peace at your side, O Lord.
Gospel Acclamation
V/. Alleluia
R/. Alleluia
V/. If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciple, and you will know the truth, says the Lord.
R/. Alleluia.
Gospel: Luke 14:12-14
At that time: Jesus said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbours, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”
Daily Gospel Reflection
Monday – Thirty-First Week of Ordinary Time
Guidelines: There is an overriding spirit of receiving, grabbing, and profiting. The spirit of giving and sharing is declining
1. We are dominated by a culture of calculation, accumulation, and manipulation. Behind every move and action in life, there is a pre-thought of estimating and evaluating the gain and the loss. Against such a mentality, today Jesus advocates the spirit of giving without expecting a return and repayment.
2. He uses the simple metaphor of a dinner or banquet. It is quite normal that we invite our friends or relatives or who are important to us in terms of position or usefulness. There is always an element of expectation. It may not be always a material benefit but at least in terms of maintaining goodwill, and receiving recognition and appreciation.
3. Here the point is not about whom to invite or not to invite. It is also not a directive to stop inviting all our near and dear ones. Rather, it is a call to purify our spirit of giving. Give selflessly without any self-interest. Give with real concern for the needs of others. Give with a genuine spirit of generosity and sharing.
4. The reason for giving is not self-interest or self-orientation but other-orientedness. The first reading makes this very clear. St Paul exhorts us: “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit… Let each of you look not only to his own interests but also to the interests of others.”
5. At times we may also give or organise something in order to display our greatness, make a show, and good impressions. There can be an implicit feeling to show our importance. That is why St Paul reminds us, “in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”
Practice: Let every action of ours proceed from a sincere love for Christ, and a fraternal spirit of accord and benevolence
