20251111 THE FAITHFUL WILL ABIDE WITH HIM IN LOVE
11 November 2025, Tuesday, 32nd Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | Wisdom 2:23-3:9 |
The souls of the virtuous are in the hands of God
God made man imperishable,
he made him in the image of his own nature;
it was the devil’s envy that brought death into the world,
as those who are his partners will discover.
But the souls of the virtuous are in the hands of God,
no torment shall ever touch them.
In the eyes of the unwise, they did appear to die,
their going looked like a disaster,
their leaving us, like annihilation;
but they are in peace.
If they experienced punishment as men see it,
their hope was rich with immortality;
slight was their affliction, great will their blessings be.
God has put them to the test
and proved them worthy to be with him;
he has tested them like gold in a furnace,
and accepted them as a holocaust.
When the time comes for his visitation they will shine out;
as sparks run through the stubble, so will they.
They shall judge nations, rule over peoples,
and the Lord will be their king for ever.
They who trust in him will understand the truth,
those who are faithful will live with him in love;
for grace and mercy await those he has chosen.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 33(34):2-3,16-19 |
I will bless the Lord at all times.
I will bless the Lord at all times,
his praise always on my lips;
in the Lord my soul shall make its boast.
The humble shall hear and be glad.
I will bless the Lord at all times.
The Lord turns his face against the wicked
to destroy their remembrance from the earth.
The Lord turns his eyes to the just
and his ears to their appeal.
I will bless the Lord at all times.
They call and the Lord hears
and rescues them in all their distress.
The Lord is close to the broken-hearted;
those whose spirit is crushed he will save.
I will bless the Lord at all times.
Gospel Acclamation | Mt4:4 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Man does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn14:23 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
If anyone loves me he will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we shall come to him.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 17:7-10 |
You are merely servants
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Which of you, with a servant ploughing or minding sheep, would say to him when he returned from the fields, “Come and have your meal immediately”? Would he not be more likely to say, “Get my supper laid; make yourself tidy and wait on me while I eat and drink. You can eat and drink yourself afterwards”? Must he be grateful to the servant for doing what he was told? So with you: when you have done all you have been told to do, say, “We are merely servants: we have done no more than our duty.”’
THE FAITHFUL WILL ABIDE WITH HIM IN LOVE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Wis 2:23 – 3:9; Ps 34:2-3,16-19; Lk 17:7-10]
As we come nearer to the end of the liturgical year and also the calendar year, it is fitting that the Church spends some time reflecting on our end. The truth is that many of us live our lives thinking that we still have many more years ahead, and even if we think it is only ten years, we assume there is still plenty of time. Yet the fact remains that our days are not within our control, and the way we meet our end is unpredictable. It is therefore spiritually helpful to consider our end on earth and what will happen thereafter.
Faith in an afterlife is something that the biblical people gradually came to believe in. Initially, the Bible could only speak of life beyond death as some kind of shadowy existence in Sheol — one that is without life or activity. But such a notion was unfulfilling because it did not do justice to our earthly life if, after death, we all share the same fate regardless of whether we have done good or evil. It would also affect our belief in God, for if there are no eternal consequences for the actions we commit in this life, then why should we do good? We might as well look after ourselves, enjoy life, and indulge in all the pleasures of this world. If we cannot obtain them by just means, we might seek them by evil means. The most feared consequence would then simply be punishment by the law. But if life becomes too difficult, we could, like many others, even be tempted to take our own lives to avoid prolonging our physical and emotional suffering. Most of all, if God were blind to what we do in life, then this God would seem to have no sense of justice. We would expect creation to be governed by principles ensuring that justice prevails. Otherwise, God would appear totally indifferent to evil and goodness, truth and falsehood.
By the time the Book of Job was written, the later books of the Bible — including many of the Psalms–expressed a growing conviction that there must be some kind of continued existence after death. This development was partially influenced by Greek philosophical ideas distinguishing the soul from the body. In the Book of Wisdom, the immortality of the soul and the reward of the just are taught. The author writes, “The souls of the virtuous are in the hands of God; no torment shall ever touch them. In the eyes of the unwise, they appeared to die, their going looked like a disaster; their leaving us, like annihilation; but they are in peace. If they experienced punishment as men see it, their hope was rich with immortality; slight was their affliction, great will their blessings be.” There is hope of life beyond death, especially for those who live justly and suffer much on this earth for the good of others. The author of Wisdom also teaches that “God made man imperishable; he made him in the image of his own nature; it was the devil’s envy that brought death into the world, as those who are his partners will discover.” Being created in God’s image and likeness, we are born with the seed of immortality. At this stage of theological development regarding the afterlife, the notion of the resurrection of the dead was not yet taught.
It was only during the Maccabean era that belief in the resurrection of the martyrs was first mentioned. “And when he was at his last breath, he said, ‘You accursed wretch, you dismiss us from this present life, but the King of the universe will raise us up to an everlasting renewal of life, because we have died for his laws.'” (2 Mc 7:9) “One cannot but choose to die at the hands of mortals and to cherish the hope God gives of being raised again by him. But for you, there will be no resurrection to life!” (2 Mc 7:14) For us, in the light of Christ’s resurrection, we understand through Paul that both physical and spiritual death affect all human beings through the sin committed by Adam. However, Christ, the New Adam, redeems us all from death. As the Book of Daniel underscores, “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” (Dn 12:2)
What is most comforting is that the just will receive the reward of eternal life after their trials on earth. “They will shine out as sparks run through the stubble. They shall judge nations, rule over peoples, and the Lord will be their king forever. They who trust in him will understand the truth; those who are faithful will live with him in love, for grace and mercy await those he has chosen.” In the New Testament, we are told that the blessed “will be like him, for we will see him as he is.” (1 Jn 3:2) Paul wrote, “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.” (1 Cor 13:12) “Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever.” (1 Th 4:17)
In the light of our future glory, the Gospel underscores what it means to be a faithful servant. Earlier on, Jesus told the apostles, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” (Lk 17:6) This faith is not simply a belief in the power of God to do things for us but also in the way we live out our discipleship — especially for those of us who are leaders in faith. The Lord warned us not to cause a little one to stumble, to have the courage to rebuke those who sin, and to extend unlimited forgiveness to those who repent.
However, we must not think that just because we have been faithful servants, we have any right to demand reward as our due from God.Jesus said to His disciples, “Which of you, with a servant ploughing or minding sheep, would say to him when he returned from the fields, ‘Come and have your meal immediately’? Would he not be more likely to say, ‘Get my supper laid; make yourself tidy and wait on me while I eat and drink. You can eat and drink afterwards’?” As servants of God, we can never say that we have completed our work and now deserve to be served. This is an important reminder for those of us who are leaders and may be tempted to seek recognition or reward for our service. We must never forget that we are servants of God and of His people. We do not deserve special treatment, for the very ability to work is itself a great blessing from God. If we can do our work and do it well, it is only by God’s graciousness.
Indeed, God, who is our Creator, does not owe us anything. Hence, the Lord said, “Must he be grateful to the servant for doing what he was told? So with you: when you have done all you have been told to do, say, ‘We are merely servants; we have done no more than our duty.'” Indeed, all we have, all we are, and all that we can do come from Him. Without His kindness and generosity, we can do nothing. Even when we do good, it is His grace working through us in cooperation with our will. Therefore, we have nothing to boast about. This is in sharp contrast to the Pharisee who prayed in the Temple, saying, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.” (Lk 18:11-12) True servants of God display humility because they know that they are not equal to God, who is our Creator and Redeemer.
Nevertheless, God does not treat us unreasonably. The parable simply emphasises the sovereignty of God’s rule. In truth, God will surprise us more than we can surprise Him. Earlier in Luke’s Gospel, in the parable of the watchful slaves, Jesus said, “Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt, have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night or near dawn and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.” (Lk 12:37-38) Indeed, Jesus demonstrates true servant leadership at the Last Supper when He stripped Himself of His outer garment and stooped down as a slave to wash the feet of His apostles. He fed them with His own body and blood in the form of bread and wine and bequeathed to them the New Covenant, to be fulfilled by His death on the cross. By offering Himself in the Eucharist and commanding His apostles to celebrate this memorial, He established the means by which we will partake in the heavenly banquet of fraternal love — a foretaste of the eternal feast until the end of time.
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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