The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today underline the connection between our community and our call to use our gifts as followers of Christ.
The reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans contains greetings to and a final Doxology.
* [16:1–23] Some authorities regard these verses as a later addition to the letter, but in general the evidence favors the view that they were included in the original. Paul endeavors through the long list of greetings (Rom 16:3–16, 21–23) to establish strong personal contact with congregations that he has not personally encountered before. The combination of Jewish and Gentile names dramatically attests the unity in the gospel that transcends previous barriers of nationality, religious ceremony, or racial status.
* [16:25–27] This doxology is assigned variously to the end of Rom 14; 15; 16 in the manuscript tradition. Some manuscripts omit it entirely. Whether written by Paul or not, it forms an admirable conclusion to the letter at this point.
* [16:25] Paul’s gospel reveals the mystery kept secret for long ages: justification and salvation through faith, with all the implications for Jews and Gentiles that Paul has developed in the letter. (Romans, CHAPTER 16, n.d.)
Psalm 145 praises the Greatness and the Goodness of God.
* [Psalm 145] A hymn in acrostic form; every verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Acrostic poems usually do not develop ideas but consist rather of loosely connected statements. The singer invites all to praise God (Ps 145:1–3, 21). The “works of God” make God present and invite human praise (Ps 145:4–7); they climax in a confession (Ps 145:8–9). God’s mighty acts show forth divine kingship (Ps 145:10–20), a major theme in the literature of early Judaism and in Christianity. (Psalms, PSALM 145, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus shares the application of the Parable of the Dishonest Steward and teaches about the Law and the Kingdom of God.
* [16:9] Dishonest wealth: literally, “mammon of iniquity.” Mammon is the Greek transliteration of a Hebrew or Aramaic word that is usually explained as meaning “that in which one trusts.” The characterization of this wealth as dishonest expresses a tendency of wealth to lead one to dishonesty. Eternal dwellings: or, “eternal tents,” i.e., heaven.
* [16:10–12] The second conclusion recommends constant fidelity to those in positions of responsibility.
* [16:13] The third conclusion is a general statement about the incompatibility of serving God and being a slave to riches. To be dependent upon wealth is opposed to the teachings of Jesus who counseled complete dependence on the Father as one of the characteristics of the Christian disciple (Lk 12:22–39). God and mammon: see note on Lk 16:9. Mammon is used here as if it were itself a god. (Luke, CHAPTER 16, n.d.)
Andy Alexander, S.J. (2011) comments that we can't have it both ways. There is an incompatibility between these two types of service. Serving God is irreconcilable with worldly wealth. We can't have two masters.
The message of Jesus is incredibly strong and clear about the dangers of wealth - the very thing we seem to want to pursue with such passion and energy. Jesus doesn't teach us about this way of life to make us miserable, but to reveal to us that placing him at the center of our lives is the way to happiness. We can't serve two masters. Today, each of us can ask ourselves if the Lord is the center of our lives. What possession, possessions, honors, status, future security, dream is standing in the way of my choice to completely live as he has taught us? What things, what ways of living, what dependencies, what desires have some mastery over my life? What freedom can I ask for today? Who around me is in greater need than I am? What changes do all of us need to make - what cultural change is necessary - for us all to make this world the place that Jesus desires for us, for everyone?
Dear Jesus, thank you for these challenging words today. Thank you for inviting me to make a fundamental choice in my life - a choice to let you be the center of my life and to be freer from what's holding on to my heart and freer for love and service of others. May your Word continue to free us all until your kingdom come and your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. (Alexander, 2023)
Don Schwager quotes “Jesus recommends the foresight, prudence, and ingenuity of the steward,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Mammon is the Hebrew word for 'riches,' just as in Punic the word for 'profit' is mammon. What are we to do? What did the Lord command? 'Make yourselves friends with the mammon of iniquity, so that they too, when you begin to fail, may receive you into eternal shelters.' It is easy, of course, to understand that we must give alms and a helping hand to the needy, because Christ receives it in them... We can understand that we have to give alms and that we must not really pick and choose to whom we give them, because we are unable to sift through people's hearts. When you give alms to all different types of people, then you will reach a few who deserve them. You are hospitable, and you keep your house ready for strangers. Let in the unworthy, in case the worthy might be excluded. You cannot be a judge and sifter of hearts." (excerpt from Sermon 359A.11-12) (Schwager, 2021)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Romans 16:3-9, 16, 22-27 comments that in this long list of names, we hear Paul the brother more than Paul the preacher. We hear a pastor conveying heartfelt affection for his companions in the faith. Behind these names are countless stories of shared meals, late-night conversations, laughter, tears, celebrations, and common hardships. Each name represents a unique story of someone who has met the risen Christ and has been baptized into his new life.
Today is a good day to praise the Lord for those who have shaped your life and opened your heart to Jesus. Praise him for those ancestors who have passed down the gift of faith and for those in your church community who have prayed for you and with you. Let your gratitude pour forth for all of them—members of the family of faith!
“Jesus, thank you for the brothers and sisters who journey with me on the way of discipleship.” (Meditation on Romans 16:3-9, 16, 22-27, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments that in the last chapter of the letter to the Romans, Paul is writing to a community he has never visited. The practice of sending copies of the Letters to many communities may explain how this text may be the letter copied for Ephesus. Friar Jude reminds us of the exhortation in the Gospel that we cannot sit on the fence, the Gospel must be the centre of our lives.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares a practice of embodied gratitude from meditation teacher Kaira Jewel Lingo.
Let yourself bring to mind other things you feel grateful for. How your body is still functioning right now, your heart still beating, your lungs expanding and retracting, your skin protecting your flesh.
Let yourself connect with gratitude for the presence of beloved people or pets in your life, or someone who has been supportive of you in the past. Connect with the ways they were present for you and how they made a difference in your life….
Now let yourself open to gratitude for the world around you, the Earth that is supporting you right now, the sun that shows up each day, the air that sustains all life, water, the stars, the oceans. Feel the gift of life that is pulsing through your veins now and let yourself feel thankful for it. Feel the gift of life that surrounds you every moment, everywhere you go.
Feel this gratitude in your body. Let yourself be nurtured, strengthened by it. (Rohr, 2023)
We pause in gratitude for the community that strengthens us and express our thanksgiving for the guidance of the Spirit in our daily choices that move us to serve the Will of God.
References
Alexander, A. (2023, November 11). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved November 11, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/111123.html
Luke, CHAPTER 16. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved November 11, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/16?9
Meditation on Romans 16:3-9, 16, 22-27. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved November 11, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/11/11/825256/
Psalms, PSALM 145. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved November 11, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/145?2
Rohr, R. (2023, November 11). Gratitude and Grace: Weekly Summary — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved November 11, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/gratitude-and-grace-weekly-summary/
Romans, CHAPTER 16. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved November 11, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/16?3
Schwager, D. (2021, September 22). Who Will Entrust to You the True Riches? Daily Scripture net. Retrieved November 11, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=nov11
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