Bible Diary

Daily Reading

Friday in Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time

LECTIONARY
489

FIRST READING

Phil 3:17-4:1

Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.

PSALM

PS 122:1-2, 3-4AB, 4CD-5

Response: Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

I rejoiced because they said to me,
“We will go up to the house of the LORD.”
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Jerusalem, built as a city
with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
According to the decree for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
In it are set up judgment seats,
seats for the house of David.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

GOSPEL

Lk 16:1-8

He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.”

Daily Reflection

The steward in today’s Gospel was looking to safeguard his wellbeing. Because his fraudulent ways had been discovered, he was looking at a very bleak future. So, he took out a unique kind of ‘insurance’! He allowed his master’s debtors to reduce what they owed in order to create goodwill for himself. This assured him of a welcome in their homes, shelter and decent hospitality.

All of us try to make the future as secure as possible and to cover every eventuality. We make provision for the well-being of our families and the security of physical possessions, more often than not, by taking out various insurance policies.

Are we equally anxious to safeguard our faith life? Perhaps we need to take out an LIC policy for that too! Only this policy reads: Life In Christ. There is no financial liability, no fine print and no exclusions. The cover is universal. The terms and conditions are straightforward: build up a strong relationship with God, and loving relationships with each other. Live the Gospel values. Our redemption – the one time premium - has already been paid for by Jesus.

So, will you sign up for your LIC policy, today?