20251103 IS GOD FAIR?
03 November 2025, Monday, 31st Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | Romans 11:29-36 |
God never takes back his gifts
God never takes back his gifts or revokes his choice.
Just as you changed from being disobedient to God, and now enjoy mercy because of their disobedience, so those who are disobedient now – and only because of the mercy shown to you – will also enjoy mercy eventually. God has imprisoned all men in their own disobedience only to show mercy to all mankind.
How rich are the depths of God – how deep his wisdom and knowledge – and how impossible to penetrate his motives or understand his methods! Who could ever know the mind of the Lord? Who could ever be his counsellor? Who could ever give him anything or lend him anything?
All that exists comes from him; all is by him and for him. To him be glory for ever! Amen.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 68(69):30-31,33-34,36-37 |
In your great love, answer me, O God.
As for me in my poverty and pain
let your help, O God, lift me up.
I will praise God’s name with a song;
I will glorify him with thanksgiving.
In your great love, answer me, O God.
The poor when they see it will be glad
and God-seeking hearts will revive;
for the Lord listens to the needy
and does not spurn his servants in their chains.
In your great love, answer me, O God.
For God will bring help to Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah
and men shall dwell there in possession.
The sons of his servants shall inherit it;
those who love his name shall dwell there.
In your great love, answer me, O God.
Gospel Acclamation | Ps118:18 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Open my eyes, O Lord, that I may consider
the wonders of your law.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn8:31-32 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
If you make my word your home
you will indeed be my disciples,
and you will learn the truth, says the Lord.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 14:12-14 |
Do not invite those who might be able to invite you back
Jesus said to his host, one of the leading Pharisees, ‘When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not ask your friends, brothers, relations or rich neighbours, for fear they repay your courtesy by inviting you in return. No; when you have a party, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; that they cannot pay you back means that you are fortunate, because repayment will be made to you when the virtuous rise again.’
IS GOD FAIR?
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Rom 11:29-36; Ps 69; Lk 14:12-14]
When we look at the world and see the great disparity between the rich and the poor, we may wonder whether the justice of God is fair.The rich have plenty and often squander their wealth in luxurious and extravagant living, while the poor do not have even a single proper meal a day. Then there are those who are born physically disadvantaged. Why does God allow such babies to come into the world to suffer? Others are born into influential families, enjoying the best connections and opportunities in life, whereas some have no connections or social status and must work doubly hard to compete. Indeed, there is much injustice in the world and in society.
On a personal level, some of us also feel cheated and short-changed. We do not have the finances, unlike others, to pursue further studies. Some feel inferior to others in terms of physical beauty or intelligence. Why are some so talented and smart while we are not? Some are born into poor or even dysfunctional families, while others enjoy loving, caring, and supportive homes. Then there are those who are sickly, suffering from various illnesses — young and old alike — who live restricted lives. Others, by contrast, can eat whatever they like and still live to a ripe old age.
When we look at life from this perspective, we can easily become envious of those who have more than we do. Whenever we see others doing better than us, we wish we were in their place. We cannot rejoice in their success. Deep in our hearts, we may even wish for their failure. Envy eats into us and robs us of our joy and peace. It can lead to resentment as well. We become angry with our parents for not providing what others have, and deep down we also resent God for creating us as we are instead of what we wish to be. We begin to feel that God is not fair or just. We may even conclude that God only loves some people but not us — that He does not care for us.
If we feel that way, we are looking at life from the wrong perspective. Such an understanding of God’s love and justice is not what Scripture teaches. St. Paul tells us that God loves all people, Jews and Gentiles alike. He “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all” (1 Tim 2:4-6a). Most of all, “God never takes back his gifts or revokes his choice.” Truly, God is faithful. “If we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself” (2 Tim 2:12-13).
Then how do we explain the disparity in the world? In God’s wondrous plan, He desires that we live as one family, caring for one another.No one is better or greater than another in His eyes. We are all given blessings and gifts meant to be shared. We do not receive these blessings for ourselves alone but for the greater good of the community. This is what St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians about giving: “And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work. As it is written, ‘He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.’ He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your resources and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way for great generosity, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. Under the test of this service, you will glorify God by your obedience in acknowledging the gospel of Christ, and by the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others; while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God in you. Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!” (2 Cor 9:8-15)
For this same reason, Jesus told us: “When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not ask your friends, brothers, relations, or rich neighbours, for fear they repay your courtesy by inviting you in return.” What is the rationale behind this exhortation? When we invite those who are on the same level as we are, we often do it for our own benefit. People like to meet those who are influential because they can gain something from them. Hence, at parties, those invited are usually from the same social class — they enrich each other. Such invitations are not true acts of generosity, for both parties gain something in return.
However, when we “invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; that they cannot pay you back means that you are fortunate, because repayment will be made to you when the virtuous rise again.” When we invite those who are poorer, the exchange is different. They cannot repay us materially, but as St. Paul says, they can bless us with other gifts — love, gratitude, joy, peace, fulfilment, and prayers. Moreover, when they “rise again,” that is, when they become independent or prosperous, they will remember to bless others as they were once blessed. Regardless of whether we are rich or poor, we can help each other find true happiness in life. The poor, the weak, and the suffering exist for the rich to help, and they, in turn, enrich the rich by deepening their capacity to love and find meaning.
Within this context, we can better appreciate what St. Paul says regarding the salvation of the Jews: “Just as you changed from being disobedient to God and now enjoy mercy because of their disobedience, so those who are disobedient now and only because of the mercy shown to you, will also enjoy mercy eventually. God has imprisoned all men in their own disobedience only to show mercy to all mankind.” In other words, the Jews were the chosen people of God. They were blessed not for themselves alone but so that they might lead all nations to God. However, they did not assume their role as God’s instrument of salvation for the world. Yet, God’s plan was not derailed by human obstinacy. He used their rejection of the Gospel to bring about the conversion of the Gentiles. Now that the Gentiles are converted to the Lord and the Gospel is spread all over the world, it is they who will be responsible for revealing to the Jews the Messiah that they have been waiting for.
In truth, it does not matter who received the Good News first. God makes use of us all, the good and evil we do, for the good of everyone. God writes straight in crooked lines. “We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28). What may seem like sin or failure to us, God can turn into good for others. No one can frustrate the inexorable plan of God for humanity. Hence, St Paul, after contemplating on the wisdom of God in carrying His plan of salvation for all of humanity, exclaimed: “How rich are the depths of God, how deep His wisdom and knowledge and how impossible to penetrate His motives or understand His methods! Who could ever know the mind of the Lord? Who could ever be His counsellor? Who could ever give Him anything or lend Him anything? All that exists comes from Him; all is by Him and for Him. To Him be glory forever! Amen.” God’s wisdom is beyond the imagination of man.
He will eventually save us all in ways beyond our imagining. This is what the Church teaches: “All this holds true not only for Christians, but for all men of good will in whose hearts grace works in an unseen way. For, since Christ died for all men, and since the ultimate vocation of man is in fact one and divine, we ought to believe that the Holy Spirit, in a manner known only to God, offers to every man the possibility of being associated with this paschal mystery. Such is the mystery of man, and it is a great one, as seen by believers in the light of Christian revelation. Through Christ and in Christ, the riddles of sorrow and death grow meaningful. Apart from His Gospel, they overwhelm us. Christ has risen, destroying death by His death; He has lavished life upon us so that, as sons in the Son, we can cry out in the Spirit: Abba, Father.” (Gaudium et Spes No. 22) Such, then, is the wisdom of God’s plan. His plan will succeed, regardless of our response.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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