Reflections on the Readings at daily Mass

By Derek Reeve

Sunday, October 30^th, Thirty First Sunday in Year C

Readings: Wisdom 11/22-12/2 : Paul’s 2nd Letter to the Thessalonians 1/11-2/2 : Luke 19/1-30

Again today the Gospel reading has a story which is unique to Luke’s Gospel and which is typical of Luke’s approach to Jesus’ ministry. It follows the story of the rich man who was both powerful and wealthy and who observed all the commandments so that he might be considered ‘righteous’. However, he found himself unable to do the ‘one thing’ which Jesus asked of him, to hand over his life entirely to Jesus, sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor.

In contrast, Zacchaeus would have been regarded as a ‘sinner’ by those around Jesus because he was a ‘senior tax-collector’ who worked for the pagan Roman occupiers. He too would have been both wealthy and powerful but, unlike the rich and powerful man in the previous story, he did not think of himself as someone who was ‘righteous’. He was merely ‘anxious to see what kind of man Jesus was’. It is not difficult to imagine that, in spite of his riches, Zacchaeus was somewhat of a figure of fun because he was short!  In order to see Jesus properly he had to climb up the sycamore tree and peer down at him. To Zacchaeus’ amazement, however, Jesus spots him and calls him down. Jesus doesn’t treat Zacchaeus as a sinner, but invites himself to supper at his house. Zacchaeus is overjoyed and welcomes Jesus with open arms. What it was that brought about Zacchaeus’ rapid response to Jesus is not explained but, not only does he share supper with Jesus, he gives away what must have been a very considerable part of his fortune and, virtually, impoverishes himself.

Perhaps Zacchaeus was ready for this encounter with Jesus? He was anxious to see him, probably because he had already heard about him and his teaching.

All around us there are people like Zacchaeus, good people trying to live their lives decently. Some translations of this Gospel reading would make it appear that Zacchaeus was already sharing his wealth with the poor as a regular practice and, when he found that any profit had been made on the basis of shady practice, he would pay it back at the maximum demanded by the Torah, the Jewish law.

Like Zacchaeus, the good people around us in our society need to hear the Gospel to help them make some sense of their lives. They will hear it, most of all, not by our words but by the example of our lives. This is true evangelisation and can result in the same sort of thing happening as happened to Zacchaeus where salvation comes to someone by the realisation of what life is all about and what makes for wholeness and fullness of life.

Luke reminds us in these two stories, that of the rich man and that of Zacchaeus, that the disposition of the heart is shown by the way in which possessions are used. Whoever clings to their possessions is closed to Jesus’ message, but whoever shares generously with others in need is open to that message and fullness of life.

The reading from the book Wisdom today backs up the Gospel story. God is generous and loves all that has been made, the writer says. Little by little, the writer says, God corrects those who offend, leading them to repentance and change of heart. Nothing and no-one is beyond the love of God. What would have been the point, the writer says, of creating if the Creator were not to love that which had been created?

In the Gospel stories, the Gospel writer shows how both the rich and the wealthy ‘ruler’ of the Synagogue and the rich tax-collector were invited to repentance and to change their whole way of life. The one who was unable to accept this invitation was the one who was so sure of his own righteousness, whereas the one who everyone would have believed was beyond God’s mercy, was the one whose heart was ready to hear Jesus’ call and to change.

Two lessons are to be learnt from these stories. The first is that one can never judge by appearances and only God sees the heart so that one ought always to give others the benefit of the doubt and refrain from judgement.

The second is that God is best served in the service of others by sharing one’s possessions with them, especially with those who are poor and in need.

During these last few Sundays of the year before Advent, the second reading is taken from Paul’s Second Letter to the Thessalonians. There is considerable dispute among scholars as to whether this letter was actually written by Paul, but the view that he was not the author seems to be gaining ground.

If it was written by Paul, then this was probably about the years 51-52 C.E. shortly after the First letter to the Thessalonians. If the author was someone else writing in Paul’s name, then it would seem to have been written late in the first century when apocalyptic fervour was becoming more and more apparent.

If the Letter was written by Paul, it would seem to be to correct the expectation that some Christians had of the imminent coming of the Day of the Lord and the end of all. Paul is anxious to say that there must be more obvious signs of this coming because some had even given up work, thinking it to be so close!

If the author was someone writing in Paul’s name, then it would seem to be addressing the situation at the end of the first century when Christians were beginning to experience severe trials and were seeing evil working against them on a global scale. This may have led them back to the Jewish apocalyptic writings to try to explain what was happening.

In today’s reading, the writer assures the recipients of his prayer for them and dismisses the rumour that he is the source of predictions about the Lord’s imminent return.

This may be relevant for our own times when prophecies and messages purporting to be from the Mother of God or even from Jesus himself, concerning the state of the world and the coming of the End, seem to abound. Neither the time nor the place has been revealed and all these ‘messages’ should be ignored.

Each day should be lived as if it were our last so that we are always ready to greet the Lord wherever and whenever he comes to us.

We should never forget that, above all, the Lord comes to us in our neighbours, especially those in need and not only physical need. Even the friendly smile or word of greeting can be a way of acknowledging that it is the Lord who is always close to us and, above all, needs us!

When the Lord gives himself to us in the Eucharist, of course, we greet him,  but he comes to us just as really and truly in a multitude of people and ways and our task is to be always on the alert not to try to see him in every situation but to recognise that it is truly him!

Monday, October 31^st, Week Thirty One in Year Two

Readings: Paul’s Letter to the Philippians 2/1-4  :  Luke 14/12-14

In today’s reading from the Letter to the Philippians the strong bond of affection which existed between Paul and the Philippian Christian community is very evident.

Paul’s telling the Philippian Christians that what would make him happiest would be that they were united in their convictions, with a common purpose and a common mind. He advises them on how they can make their community the community that Christ would want it to be. This is advice which applies to any Christian community. ‘There must be no competition among you, no conceit but everybody to be self-effacing. Always consider the other person to be better than yourself, so that nobody thinks of their own interests first but everybody thinks of other people’s interests instead’. This is wonderful vision of community, and it is a vision which we ought to seek to implement in our Christian communities today. One of the problems, of course, is that our communities are too large. This must lead us to the conclusion that they ought to be broken down into smaller and more human groupings. It is never too soon to start creating those smaller groupings if they don’t exist already, meeting together regularly so that the members really do get to know one another, perhaps to reflect on the Gospel together and, if possible, to share food and drink together.

If this does not happen then with larger and larger communities, people will just go to church in much the same way as they go to the supermarket, getting their rations, as it were, and going their separate ways. That is not going to change the world!

In today’s Gospel reading Jesus takes these thoughts further and suggests that if the kingdom of God is to be built up then we must look outside of our friends and acquaintances and go out especially to those who are in need, sharing with them and in so doing, building up new bonds of friendship. Although it may be difficult for us to do this directly, we can support activities like food banks and so on, but we can also work to build up community around us, though, sometimes it may exist, and we ought to support it. A simple way of doing something ourselves is to arrange a Macmillan Coffee morning or something similar. The Lord challenges us to do these things and so to build up the Kingdom of God.

It is also Hallowe’en today. ‘Hallow’ is another word for ‘saint’ or ‘holy one’, the one who is ‘hallowed’ or made holy by God’s grace. Because today is the eve of All Saints’ Day, it became known as All Hallows Eve or Hallowe’en.

Because this is a turning point in the year with winter darkness approaching in the Northern Hemisphere, today also became associated with the dead and pagan customs became confused with Christian ones. Even now tonight is mixed up with a lot of superstitious observances and, unfortunately, with a lot of customs imported from the United States, originally brought from Europe. Not least, there is the abominable ‘trick and treating’. While not being spoilsports we ought to resist all the superstitions that are so rife in our society, not least to do with ghosts, possessions and hauntings and so on.

If we want to celebrate Hallowe’en why not do it in a more Christian way. We can gather our children and their friends together for a party, asking people to contribute to some charity like ‘Save the children’ since it is mostly children who are involved in these observances?

Tuesday, November 1^st, The Solemnity of All Saints

This feast commemorates all Christian saints both known and unknown and it is very ancient.  Saint Ephraem of Syria, who died in 373, mentions such a feast and Saint John Chrysostom who died in 407, speaks of it being celebrated on a specific day, the first Sunday after Pentecost. This is the day that is still observed in the Eastern Church as if to remind the people that holiness is the gift of the Holy Spirit.

It would seem that the same day was associated with the commemoration of all the saints in Rome in the sixth century, but the feast was not firmly established in the Western Church until the dedication to Christian usage of the pagan Roman Pantheon by Pope Boniface IV. This took place on May 13^th, in 609 or 610, when it was dedicated to Saint Mary and all the martyrs. The Pantheon had been built by the Emperor Agrippa in the year 27 in honour of the Emperor Augustus and all the gods. It was the Emperor Phocas who gave the building to Pope Boniface and, from then on, there was an annual commemoration of all the saints on May 13^th.

The observance of a feast on November 1^st seems to date from the dedication on that date of a chapel in Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome by Pope Gregory III who died in 741. Pope Gregory IV extended the observance of the feast to the whole of the Western Church for what seem to have been practical reasons: it was too difficult to feed the many pilgrims who would come to Rome for the feast in the Spring!

Another theory for the fixing of this date is that it was the date of a Roman festival for the fruit harvest. It was also the date of the Celtic New Year. In either case, this is a good example of the Church taking over existing festivals and turning them into Christian ones.

In the early years of the Church there was no formal process for declaring people to be saints. It was the members of their village or their community who, in appreciation of their goodness, would start to honour someone a saint. It was in about the tenth century that the first so-called canonisations took place when the Pope would declare someone to be a saint because of their life and example.

Later and, especially in the last few centuries, canonisation has become a long and expensive process with a detailed examination of the life, teaching and works of the person to be canonised. This has resulted in many people being canonised, who though their life may have been exemplary, had he process of canonisation pushed forward by a powerful group with enough money to do this.

Often these persons, good though they may be, are not people in whom ordinary people can find inspiration and example since they are either members of religious orders, or popes and bishops and so on. Perhaps, the whole process ought to be stopped and people could make up their own minds about who they believed to be saints who would inspire and encourage them!

Readings: Apocalypse 7/2-4, 9-14  :  First Letter of John 3/1-3  :  Matthew 5/1-12

The reading from the Apocalypse or Book of Revelation is an attempt by the writer to describe Heaven where all saints are with God. It is impossible, of course, to imagine what being with God after death can be like. This is merely a picture that the writer paints to remind us that we, with all the saints, will be caught up in the adoration of the One who is all love. It is obvious, from this short reading that those who were thought of being with God were, first and foremost, those who had laid down their lives for their Christian faith. We are called, though in a less dramatic way, to lay down our lives for Christ in the daily business of loving others and forgetting ourselves in that loving.

The reading from the First letter of John takes up the same thought. We know nothing of life after death, but the writer assures us that we are God’s children and we shall be made like God, transformed by love. It is this that sustains our hope.

The Gospel reading gives us the programme for becoming a saint. These are the values that make saints because, living by them we become like God! Our humanity is brought to perfection.

These are the values by which we must try to live our lives, not to become holy but to become more fully human. A saint is someone whose humanity has been brought nearer to perfection by their openness to God and to the Spirit of love. They become as God intends and that is also our destiny.

Today then is not just a feast of all those who have gone before us and are with God. It is the feast of the Church because we are all called to be saints. Paul often refers to the Christian community as the ‘saints’ in a certain place. Today then is more than a look back, it is a challenge for us to open our hearts and lives to God and to become more like what we are called to be, saints!

Wednesday, November 2^nd, The Commemoration of all the Dead

It may seem obvious that, after remembering all the saints yesterday, today we remember the dead. However, it is only since the tenth century that this day has been so observed. With the foundation of the great abbey of Cluny in France by William the Pious, Duke of Aquitaine in 910, a reform of Benedictine monasteries began which rapidly spread all over Europe. This reform was centred on Cluny and so all the observances of the Abbey of Cluny spread to the other monasteries associated with it. Cluny was blessed with four great abbots shortly after its foundation by William and its first abbot Berno. The last of these was Odilo who was abbot from 994 to 1048. With the gradual development of the notion of Purgatory as a place of purification after death and before admission to the divine presence, prayer for the dead had developed, and it was this that inspired Odilo to fix a day of prayer for the dead annually. He ordered that this day of prayer for the dead was to be observed in all the monasteries following Cluny and it was soon adopted by the whole of the Western Church and has been observed ever since. After the terrible loss of life during the First World War, the practice began of every priest celebrating three Masses for the dead on this day, though this is less common now.

One of the great disputes at the time of the Reformation in the Western Church was the practice of praying for the dead. This was largely due to the abuses that had sprung up with regard to this practice, and the obsession with releasing the dead from Purgatory that people seem generally to have developed. Not least was the association of money with chapels and chantries where the dead would be prayed for, sometimes as at Eton, in perpetuity.

The new Catechism of the Catholic Church in Article 1030 states that ‘All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation, but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of Heaven’.  In Article 1031 the Catechism states that ‘The Church formulated her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence (1439) and Trent (1563) and that ‘the tradition of the Church speaks of cleansing fire’. Furthermore, it says that ‘this teaching is based on the practice of prayer for the dead, already mentioned in Holy Scripture’, and it refers to the only place where this occurs specifically in the Second Book of Maccabees, chapter 12, verse 46.

It is true that, from the earliest times, Christians had prayed for the dead and, indeed, it is natural to continue to pray for those whom we love, even though death has taken them from us. The Western Church, in particular, gradually developed a comprehensive teaching about the fate of those who died in ‘a state of sin’, albeit, not that sin which would separate us from God eternally, mortal sin as it is usually called. Added to this, the teaching also developed that those still in this world, might help those who were in Purgatory, as it came to be called, by their prayers, by the offering of Mass and by their good works. It became common also for pious authors to describe Purgatory as a place not dissimilar from Hell but where the dead would stay only as long as it took to cleanse them from their sins. All this, of course, was pure speculation!

It was all this that not only inspired the creation of a special day of prayer for the dead but also made Roman Catholics, in particular, obsessed with prayer for the dead as if, should they fail to pray for them they would remain in Purgatory for ever!

Though it is natural to want to remember those who have died, especially those who are dear to us, it would seem better to leave them safely in God’s hands and not to obsess on our responsibility for getting them into God’s presence.

For the most part, all the ideas that are promoted about Heaven, Hell and Purgatory are not based on any of Jesus’ teaching. Jesus seemed to be far more concerned with the building up of the Kingdom of Heaven here and now and leaving the rest to God.

The idea that, because of our faults and our failings, we are not fit to enter the presence of God is natural, but it would seem better to leave how this is all worked out to the loving God whom Jesus reveals to us, rather than to have recourse to the fantasies that human beings have created.

Today then we remember the dead, especially those whom we love, but also the vast numbers of those who die in warfare, labour camps, prisons, through natural and man-made disasters even today and to combine our remembrance with prayer for peace and a whole change in our world order.

Readings: Isaiah 25/6-9  :  Paul’s Letter to the Romans 5/5-11  :  Luke 7/11-17

These are the most likely readings to be used today though there is a whole variety of others that might be used if there is more than one Mass.

These readings do not speak of the original objective of this day, which is to pray for the dead, since, apart from the few words in the Second Book of Maccabees, there is nothing else in Scripture about this. However, these readings do help us to remember those who have died and, indeed, our own death.

The reading from the prophet Isaiah gives a picture of what God has in store for his children, doing it in a way that everyone can understand and likening it to a great banquet. Here, all mourning will disappear, and the Lord ‘will wipe away every tear’. Hope will be fulfilled, and the Lord will save his people. Our future state with God cannot be described in human terms, but it will be the fulfilment all our hopes.

The reading from the Letter to the Romans also speaks of hope. Because Jesus has died for us he has united sinful humanity with himself and reconciled us with God so that we may be able to enjoy life with God. Because of this, we ought to be filled with joyful trust in God.

The reading from Luke’s Gospel this year depicts Jesus raising to life the son of the widow woman of Nain. In this act Jesus shows the compassion of God in his care for the widow and his power over death in raising her son to life.

These readings tell us that we must have faith, trust and hope in the God whose will it is to save us from death and to share with us the life of love, of the Spirit. We can then, with confidence, entrust our loved ones and all the departed to the loving God whose will it is to gather all things to him in Christ.

Thursday, November 3^rd, Commemoration of Martin de Porres (1579-1639)

Martin was the illegitimate son of a Spanish grandee, Juan de Porres and Anna Velasquez, a free coloured woman of Lima in Peru.

At first, Martin apprenticed himself to a barber-surgeon but, after some years, he joined the Dominican Friars as a lay helper. His life, however, and especially his commitment to the poor, led the Friars to invite him to join their community as a lay-brother.

During the day Martin would look after the sick and the plague-stricken, act as barber, gardener and counsellor, caring above all for the poorest, irrespective of race or colour and he would spend his nights in prayer. Martin’s ability in curing the sick seemed almost miraculous and his care and control of animals was prodigious. His community soon recognised Martin’s goodness and many accepted his spiritual direction. Though his brother friars called him the ‘father of charity’ he would call himself a ‘mulatto dog’!

Martin died at the age of only sixty from a violent fever, and he was venerated almost immediately as a saint. He was eventually canonised by Pope John XXIII in 1962.

Martin is the patron of race relations, not because of any political activity on his part but because of his universal caring love for people of every race whom he served without counting the cost.

With the present crisis in race relations in so many places, Martin offers a solution. Race and colour are irrelevant. What matters is that we recognise that we are all brothers and sisters, and we are called to love one another. It is only in loving that the world’s problems will be solved.

Martin was also renowned for his love of animals and his care for them. Today we remember the animal creation and our responsibility for it. We must commit ourselves to ending the abuse of animals, whether it be in the horrors of factory farming, the obscenity of hunting and bull-fighting or simply the cruelty that domestic animals so often suffer.

Readings: because of the special readings for the last two days, it would be good to catch up on those we have missed.

The reading from the Letter to the Philippians (Phil. 2/5-11) which we missed on Tuesday is one of the most famous passages in the New Testament and most scholars believe that it was, most probably, a hymn, not written by Paul but known by him and which, perhaps, he had taught the Philippian Christians at the time of his first visit to them. There is even a possibility that this hymn was composed originally in Aramaic and learnt by Paul soon after his conversion and before it was translated into Greek.

These few verses sum up in a wonderful way what we believe about Jesus, the Christ. Echoing the words that begin Saint John’s Gospel, it states that Christ Jesus was with the Father from the beginning, sharing his divinity. It then uses the striking phrase to describe the Incarnation, that he ‘emptied himself’ of the divinity to become human. It concludes by singing of his death and his glorification by the Father.

The phrase ‘emptying himself’ is extremely helpful because it makes it clear that Jesus was and is truly human, not God disguised as a man. Because of this it can be said in all truth that God has shared our humanity fully and utterly and has become truly ‘one of us’. This is something of which we need to remind ourselves frequently because it is so easy to forget.

The reading for yesterday (Phil.2/12-18) exhorts the Philippian Christians to live as Paul has taught them, not complaining or arguing but just getting on with the business of trying to lead good lives.  Then they would be, he says, ‘like bright stars shining in the world’. In all his sufferings and even facing death, Paul says that this would make him truly happy, if he could know that the Philippian Christians were being faithful to their Christian calling. Then he says, he could be proud of them and happy with them.

In the reading appointed for today Paul explains to the Philippian Christians that they are the ‘true Israel’, not because of circumcision or their keeping of the Jewish Law but because they ‘worship in accordance with the Spirit of God’. Paul says that though he has had all the advantages of being a faithful Jew, these count as nothing because what really counts is ‘the supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus’ his Lord.

We too have had that advantage and for some mysterious reason, known only to God, we have come to know Jesus. He is the One who has touched our lives and made sense of them. For this we can only be grateful and never cease to thank him.

In the Gospel reading which was missed on Tuesday (Luke 14/15-24) Jesus responds to the guest at the Pharisees’ table who declares that whoever will find themselves at the banquet of the Kingdom of God will be blessed. Jesus does this by telling a story about a great banquet, which those invited fail to attend for various reasons. The host sends out his servants to collect ‘the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame for the banquet’. Even then there are empty places and so the host insists that others be forced to come in to fill them, but none of those originally invited will be let in.

This is a parable about the Kingdom of God to which Jesus’ hearers, the Pharisees around the table, have failed to enter because of their adherence to the Law and its strict observance rather than to its underlying principles of love. The Kingdom, Jesus says will be made up of all sorts of people, and it is as if they will almost be forced to join so that the banquet of the Kingdom is full. This would have made difficult hearing for the Pharisees who would have expected that they would be first in God’s Kingdom.

The reading for yesterday (Luke 14/25-33) emphasises the requirements for becoming Jesus’ disciples and Jesus tells the crowds that are following him that they must think carefully before they respond to his call. Ultimately, those who would follow him must abandon their family and all worldly possessions and this is not something to be taken on lightly and without thoughtful consideration.

We, then, must remember that just because we are Catholic Christians, that doesn’t entitle us to assume that we are first in the Kingdom of Heaven. God’s reign is happening everywhere and among the most unlikely people. We must also consider what Jesus is demanding of us when we make the decision to be his disciples and not presume that it is just a matter of words and a few religious practices. What does the Lord demand of me if I am to be his true disciple?

In the Gospel reading appointed for today Jesus tells two stories to illustrate the way in which God loves his people. Like the shepherd, God goes out to seek us like a lost sheep and does not rest until we are safely in his arms. Like the woman who looks for her lost coin, probably all her savings, God seeks us out with great sensitivity, like a woman, as if we were of the greatest value. This is why Jesus welcomes sinners and eats with them. He wants to win them back by his love and care for them and to lead them into fullness of life in the Kingdom of God, like the shepherd in his story. Like the poor woman he wants to take us out of the dark shadows where we are lost like the coin, and bring us into the light of his love again.

This is, of course, what Martin did, loving people back to God. It was his love that touched not only the poor but the rich and the powerful so that they too were changed by his example.

Today we give thanks to the God who is love and about whom we can say no more, and we pray that we may be, day by day, more like him so that our lives are gradually consumed with love. Where must I start?

There are special readings for Martin, though those of the day will, almost certainly, be used. Those for Martin are:

Paul’s letter to the Philippians 4/4-9, in which Paul tells his readers how he wants them, above all, to be happy and live together in peace, and these were characteristics of Martin’s life.

Matthew 22/34-40, in which Jesus sums up the whole of the Law in the one commandment which ruled Martins’ life, that we must love God and our neighbours as ourselves.

Friday, November 4^th, Commemoration of Charles Borromeo, bishop (1538-1584)

The contrast between Martin yesterday and Charles today is striking and reminds us that to be born into a rich and affluent situation can be a greater disadvantage than to be born into a life of wealth and high status as was Charles. When he was only twelve years of age, his uncle, who would become Pope Pius IV, enrolled him into the clergy so that he might be eligible to receive valuable church properties. At the age of twenty-two he was made a Cardinal though he followed the fashions of the wealthy, feasting and hunting with them and, generally, living their way of life.

In a way Charles epitomised the abuses of power in the Church, which caused so much concern to Martin Luther and the other reformers.

However, Charles was also a hard-working student, and he had earned his doctorate by the time he was made a Cardinal. He lived in Rome where the Pope gave him many responsibilities. One of his greatest accomplishments was the work he did for the Council of Trent (1545-1563), which had been called by the Pope to gather all the bishops together in an attempt to correct the wrongs which were the concern of the Protestant reformers. The Council had been suspended several times but it was Charles who insisted it be re-convened in 1545.

During all this time Charles had been undergoing a gradual change in his life and this came to a head when, at the age of twenty-five, he made a retreat under the guidance of the newly formed Jesuits. Charles experienced a deep change in his way of looking at things and began to live a life of great austerity.

At the age of only twenty-six, Charles was ordained and made a bishop so that he might be able to take over the diocese of Milan, which he had already been administering as a layman! Charles, who had been living in Rome, was called to the deathbed of Pope Pius IV, and subsequently obtained from Pius V, his successor, permission to return to his diocese of Milan and to live there. He was the first bishop of Milan to actually live in the city for eighty years!

Charles adopted a very simple way of life, living in community with other priests and giving away much of his wealth to the poor. He turned his diocese into a model diocese by implementing the decrees of the Council of Trent. He was concerned for the life of the priests of his diocese, and he founded seminaries where new priests could be formed. He was also dedicated to the education of the people and began the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine and soon he had trained enough catechists to teach forty thousand students!

Charles also made himself available to his people, especially the poor and the needy and, after Milan had been hit by famine, he kept thousands of people fed for three months, using his own wealth to do so. When the city was hit by plague, Charles nursed many victims himself, using up what remained of his wealth. He died when he was only forty-six, worn out by hard work.

Charles became a model for the bishops of the post-Tridentine church and today is a good day to pray for bishops that they may be able to imitate Charles, not so much by their austerity as by their availability and their willingness to live close to their people so as to know them and to understand their needs. As Pope Francis has said, ‘the shepherd should smell of the sheep’ and that Charles certainly must have done.

Readings: Paul’s letter to the Philippians 3/17-4/1  :  Luke 16/1-8

In the reading from the Letter to the Philippians today the writer is exhorting the Philippian Christians to follow his example in their way of life and to study the lives of those who were already doing that.

It seems there were problems among the Philippian Christians which we have not read about in the Letter, internal strife, external pressure and the usual problems of those who want to impose the Jewish Law on the non-Jewish Christians. Paul warns against those who are ‘behaving as the enemies of the cross of Christ’. Who these are is not made clear. The mention of food might indicate that they were those who wanted to impose the Jewish dietary laws on the non-Jewish Christians or, alternatively, indulged in the customs of the pagans around them. Whatever the case, Paul encourages the Philippian Christians to remember their destiny, to be transformed by the Lord who is glorified and to remain faithful. The reading concludes with Paul’s touching words telling them how he misses the Philippian Christians who are his ‘joy and his crown’.

The Gospel reading is appropriate for today’s commemoration since Charles was, above all, a good and faithful steward. He used his material goods for the poor and the needy and his great intellectual talents for the improvement of the Church, above all in his diocese. The parable is about the astuteness of the steward who used his gifts to benefit himself eventually, and also for the benefit of his master and his clients since the money he was taking off the accounts would have been the money that he was overcharging to use for himself.

In Charles, however, a different sort of astuteness can be seen in that he uses both his talents and his wealth for his people and so fulfils his own desire to see the Church in his diocese become more and more the model diocese that he wanted it to be.

There are proper readings for Charles although, almost certainly, those of the day will be used.

Those for Charles are: Pauls’ Letter to the Romans 12/3-13, in which Paul admonishes his hearers to use their talents as Charles most certainly did. Furthermore, he tells them how they must love each other and be cheerful!

John 10/11-16, in which Jesus speaks of the good shepherd, which he himself is, and which he calls those who follow him to imitate in their care of the flock that is committed to them.

Saturday, November 5^th, Saturday in Week Thirty-One in Year Two

Readings: Paul’s Letter to the Philippians 4/10-19  :  Luke 16/9-15

In the last reading from the Letter to the Philippians today Paul speaks of his own situation and how he has been through various hardships and known what it was to have no money, it would seem.

However, the main thrust of this whole passage, is the reassurance that he has from the gift which Epaphroditus has brought from them. Now, he says, he has everything he needs, and he has found in their generosity a ‘sweet fragrance’. He assures the Philippian Christians that they will be richly rewarded for their generosity.

This whole passage brings home to the reader the warmth of Paul’s relationship with the Philippian Christians and how much he felt for them, and they for him.

Is there something of that same warmth in our own Christian community? Do we truly care for one another, even being ready to share with other members of the community what we have when they are in need?

The Gospel reading is again one which was read a few Sundays ago. In it Jesus first of all warns his hearers that they must be trustworthy, especially in their use of money. He further tells his hearers of the danger of wealth and possessions. These can enslave us and control our lives. Jesus tells his hearers that they cannot serve both God and wealth. We have to make our choice. Being the slave of God, however, does not mean that we have to become ultra-religious and spending long hours in prayer. What we have to do is to recognise God’s demands on us. Everything we have is all gift, and we are not entitled to it, so that we ought to be ready to share our gifts with others in their need.

The reading ends with a further rebuke to the Pharisees who believe themselves to be virtuous. They are actually laughing at Jesus for what they see as his foolishness because for them wealth and riches are, they believe, signs of God’s favour and their own righteousness.

But, Jesus says, God sees the heart and knows what is going on there.

This Gospel reading might be an incentive to reflect on our own attitude to wealth and possessions. We may feel that we don’t have very much but could we be more generous?