HOMILY FOR SATURDAY OF THE 31ST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME OF YEAR II. (2)

HOMILY FOR SATURDAY OF THE 31ST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME OF YEAR II.

THEME: For God Knows What We All Have in Our Hearts.

BY: Fr. Diotacious Chikontwe SMA..

HOMILY FOR SATURDAY NOVEMBER 5 2022.

*READINGS OF THE DAY*
Philippians 4:10-19
Psalm 111:1-2,5-6,8,9
Luke 16:9-15

*LITURGICAL COLOUR*
GREEN/WHITE

*FROM OUR FIRST READING*
At the end of this morning’s first reading, Paul assures the Philippians that their generosity towards him will create a space for God to ‘fulfil all your needs in Christ Jesus, as lavishly as only God can’. Paul is assuring us that when we are generous with what has been entrusted to us, we open ourselves up to experiencing God’s lavish generosity towards us. In the words of Jesus earlier in Luke’s gospel, ‘give and it will be given to you’.

*FROM OUR GOSPEL READING*
In this morning’s gospel reading the concern of Jesus is not about money in itself but rather about the use that money is put to. He declares, ‘use money, tainted as it is, to win you friends, and thus make sure that when it fails you, they will welcome you into the tents of eternity’. He uses the language of trust in relation to money. ‘The one who can be trusted in little things can be trusted in great’. Money is something that we are entrusted with to use well, and if we show ourselves to be worthy of that trust, then the day will come when we will be entrusted with what Jesus calls genuine riches, the riches of eternal life.

*CONCLUSION*
Jesus seems to be saying that more important even than what we have is what we do with what we have. Whatever resources that come our way, we are called upon to use them in the service of others, ‘to win us friends’ in the language of the gospel reading. The gospel challenges us every day to use what we have to benefit others, and what we have includes not only our material possessions, but our gifts, our talents, our experience, our time. We all have something that can benefit someone, if we are willing to share it.
A Blessed Saturday to everyone.. God bless you all.