Daily Bible Readings

November 4, 2011
1st READING

Here we see that St. Paul took his apostolic mission very seriously and sought to execute it with all diligence and zeal. He did not, however, rely on his own strength but rather drew upon the mighty power of the Holy Spirit to make his apostolate fruitful and effective. We can all learn a great deal by imitating Apostle Paul and relying solely on the power that God provides.

Romans 15:14-21
14 I myself am convinced about you, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to admonish one another. 15 But I have written to you rather boldly in some respects to remind you, because of the grace given me by God 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in performing the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering up of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 17 In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to boast in what pertains to God. 18 For I will not dare to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to lead the Gentiles to obedience by word and deed, 19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit [of God], so that from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum I have finished preaching the gospel of Christ. 20 Thus I aspire to proclaim the gospel not where Christ has already been named, so that I do not build on another’s foundation, 21 but as it is written: “Those who have never been told of him shall see, and those who have never heard of him shall understand.”

P S A L M

Psalms 98:1, 2-3, 3-4
R: The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
1 Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done wondrous deeds; his right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm. (R)
2 The LORD has made his salvation known: in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice. 3 He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel. (R) All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God. 4 Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands; break into song; sing praise. (R)

G O S P E L
This, in many ways, is a very strange parable. At first glance, it seems to be praising unscrupulous dishonesty. The steward who is about to be dismissed defrauds his master in order to gain the favor of his clients so that they will look after him when he is out of work. However, the point Jesus wants to make is not to applaud the dishonesty of the steward but to highlight how he used his situation to his advantage. We, too, should use our positions to further the work of God.

ALLELUIA
R: Alleluia, alleluia
Whoever keeps the word of Christ, the love of God is truly perfected in him.
R: Alleluia, alleluia

Luke 16:1-8
1 Jesus said to his disciples, “A rich man had a steward who was reported to him for squandering his property. 2 He summoned him and said, ‘What is this I hear about you? Prepare a full account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward.’ 3 The steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do, now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me? I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg. 4 I know what I shall do so that, when I am removed from the stewardship, they may welcome me into their homes.’ 5 He called in his master’s debtors one by one. To the first he said, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 He replied, ‘One hundred measures of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note. Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.’ 7 Then to another he said, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘One hundred kors of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note; write one for eighty.’ 8 And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently. For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.”

my reflections
t h i n k : We, too, should use our positions to further the work of God.

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________
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T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST
Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

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READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Matthew 5-8