Daily Gospel Reflection
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November 5, 2022
Jesus said to his disciples:
“I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth,
so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
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.
If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth,
who will trust you with true wealth?
If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another,
who will give you what is yours?
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 God and mammon.”
The Pharisees, who loved money,
heard all these things and sneered at him.
And he said to them,
“You justify yourselves in the sight of others,
but God knows your hearts;
for what is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God.”
My mom always said you could try to trick others and even yourself, but you won’t fool God. He is there with you in every choice you make and do not make. He is watching when you decide to help others or when you decide to turn a blind eye.
“Why do you hold the door for someone who can hold it for themselves?”
“Why do you go out of your way to guide and translate for others?”
“Why do you help clean up after events when there is a housekeeping crew?”
I would always hear these questions in one of my previous jobs. Why would I do more than what was required? Because every small decision shows who you are to others and God.
It’s easy to defend simple choices when stopping to do something for someone else does not immediately benefit us, but as mentioned in today’s gospel, we must share our wealth with others. Our time, money, and resources are part of the wealth that God has given us to share.
If we are stingy with the wealth that is a gift granted to us by God, then are we trustworthy of more? If I am not sharing what I have now and not spreading my wealth to others, what kind of heart am I showing God?
To show Christ a heart untainted by greed but fed by him and his generosity—a heart that is as warm to others as he is to me—that is a heart worthy and devoted to God.
Prayer
Lord, although we love you, we know that our hearts are divided. Inspire us with single-hearted longing for you that you may be the sole object of our desire. In this way, may we come to be trustworthy in the little things, for it is there that we will find you. We ask this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Elizabeth and Zechariah were the parents of John the Baptist. Elizabeth was the cousin of the Virgin Mary, and Zechariah was a priest in Jerusalem. As depicted in this stained glass window from the Basilica, an angel visited Zechariah in an incense-filled vision when he was in the temple. The angel told him that Elizabeth, who was well beyond child-bearing years, would have a son and they should name him John.
Zechariah doubted the news and the angel struck him mute. When their child was born, he was consulted as to what name their son should be given. When he wrote on a slate that the boy shall be called John, his speech was restored.
After the Annunciation, when the angel Gabriel told Mary she would bear the Son of God, Mary traveled to be with Elizabeth as she prepared for motherhood. Upon hearing Mary's greeting, Elizabeth cried out:
"Most blessed are you among women, and blessed in the fruit of you womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."
— Lk 1:42-45
We celebrate this moment on the Feast of the Visitation, which is held on May 31 each year to mark the end of the month dedicated to Mary.
Elizabeth is the patron of pregnant women. Relics of both Elizabeth and Zechariah rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica, as does a piece of the house they lived in.
Saints Elizabeth and Zechariah, parents of John the Baptist who prepared the way of the Lord—pray for us!