This week’s Gospel message for Sunday, September 18th is from Luke 16:1-13.
“Jesus said to his disciples, ‘The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones. . .No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon.’”
“We live in a society that considers the accumulation of material wealth to be a worthy goal. Even if we’re not greedy, we want to be able to provide for our families and for ourselves and free ourselves from the worry of being unable to pay the bills. In trying to serve both God and mammon, are we becoming more concerned about earning more money and improving our standard of living than in building up our spiritual wealth and growing closer to God?” SOURCE: Pastoral Patterns, Autumn 2022
DAILY READINGS FOR THE WEEK
Monday Proverbs 3:27-34; Luke 8:16-18
Tuesday Proverbs 21:1-6, 10-13; Luke 8:19-21
Saints Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn, Priest, and Paul Chŏng Ha-sang, and Companions, Martyrs (Memorial) – “In the early 1800s, Christian communities began to flourish in Korea, under the leadership of laity. In 1836, missionaries from the Parish Foreign Mission Society secretly entered the country. The Christian communities encountered hostility. Over 10,000 Christians were killed. Among them were the layman Paul Chŏng Ha-sang and Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn.”
Wednesday Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13; Matthew 9:9-13
Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist (Feast) – “The apostle Matthew appears in the list of the twelve apostles in all three synoptic gospels, but only in Matthew’s gospel is he identified as a tax collector (the other gospels call this man Levi). Matthew, the gospel author, invites his community of Jewish-Christians to embrace their Jewish tradition and participate in the Church’s evangelizing mission to the Gentiles.”
Thursday Ecclesiastes 1:2-11; Luke 9:7-9
Friday Ecclesiastes 3:1-11; Luke 9:18-22
Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, Priest (Memorial) – “Padre Pio was born as Francesco Forgione in the Italian village of Pietrelcina. He joined the Capuchin Friars and was ordained a priest. While praying before a cross, he received the stigmata—the bodily experience of the crucifixion wounds of Jesus. He founded a hospital, the House for the Relief of Suffering. He was a spiritual advisor, confessor, and intercessor, whose life was devoted to the Eucharist and prayer.”
Saturday Ecclesiastes 11:9—12:8; Luke 9:43b-45
SOURCE: Living With Christ, September 2022