This week’s Gospel message for Sunday, November 7th is from Mark 12:38-44.
“Jesus . . . observed how the crowd put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, ‘Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.’”
“The widow in today’s Gospel had no ‘safety net’ to rely on, from either government assistance or institutional programs. She was left to rely on the generosity of others. Yet, it was her own generosity that made her a model of Jesus’ self-sacrifice.” SOURCE: Pastoral Patterns, Autumn 2021
DAILY READINGS FOR THE WEEK
Monday Wisdom 1:1-7; Luke 17:1-6
Tuesday Ezek 47:1-2,8-9,12; 1 Cor 3:9c-11,16-17; John 2:13-22
The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica (Feast) – “The cathedral church of Rome (the pope’s local parish as bishop of Rome) was dedicated by Pope Sylvester I in 324. Originally called the Most Holy Savior, it is called St. John Lateran because it was built on property donated by the Laterani family and its baptistry is named after St. John. It is ‘the mother and head of all churches of the city and the world.’”
Wednesday Wisdom 6:1-11; Luke 17:11-19
Saint Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church (Memorial) – “As pope, Leo the Great was known for his peacekeeping efforts, in particular for his encounter with Attila the Hun, whom he persuaded not to plunder Rome. His writings include pastoral sermons on faith and charity and on the incarnation.”
Thursday Wisdom 7:22b—8:1; Luke 17:20-25
Saint Martin of Tours, Bishop (Memorial) – “As bishop of Tours [France], he worked ceaselessly to spread the faith. An excellent administrator, he invented the division of dioceses into parishes.”
Friday Wisdom 13:1-9; Luke 17:26-37
Saint Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr (Memorial) – “John Kuncewicz was born in present-day Ukraine. Upon entering the Order of St. Basil, he chose the name Josaphat. Ordained a priest of the Byzantine rite and archbishop of Polotsk, Russia, he worked for the renewal of the diocese and for the union of the Ukrainian Church with Rome. He was slain by his opponents. Josaphat became the first Eastern saint to be formally canonized, in 1867.”
Saturday Wisdom 18:14-16; 19:6-9; Luke 18:1-8
Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, Virgin (Memorial) – “Maria Francesca Cabrini, born in Italy, began teaching in an orphanage at age twenty-four; six years later, she founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart. In 1889, at the request of Pope Leo XIII, she traveled to the United States to work with Italian immigrants. Her congregation spread throughout the U.S., Italy, South and Central America, and England. In 1946, she became the first American citizen to be canonized.” SOURCE: Living With Christ, November 2021