20251108 WHAT IS REALLY OURS?
08 November 2025, Saturday, 31st Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Romans 16:3-9,16,22-27 |
The mystery kept secret for endless ages must be broadcast everywhere
My greetings to Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked death to save my life: I am not the only one to owe them a debt of gratitude, all the churches among the pagans do as well. My greetings also to the church that meets at their house.
Greetings to my friend Epaenetus, the first of Asia’s gifts to Christ; greetings to Mary who worked so hard for you; to those outstanding apostles Andronicus and Junias, my compatriots and fellow prisoners who became Christians before me; to Ampliatus, my friend in the Lord; to Urban, my fellow worker in Christ; to my friend Stachys. Greet each other with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send greetings.
I, Tertius, who wrote out this letter, greet you in the Lord. Greetings from Gaius, who is entertaining me and from the whole church that meets in his house. Erastus, the city treasurer, sends his greetings; so does our brother Quartus.
Glory to him who is able to give you the strength to live according to the Good News I preach, and in which I proclaim Jesus Christ, the revelation of a mystery kept secret for endless ages, but now so clear that it must be broadcast to pagans everywhere to bring them to the obedience of faith. This is only what scripture has predicted, and it is all part of the way the eternal God wants things to be. He alone is wisdom; give glory therefore to him through Jesus Christ for ever and ever. Amen.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 144(145):2-5,10-11 |
I will bless your name for ever, O Lord.
I will bless you day after day
and praise your name for ever.
The Lord is great, highly to be praised,
his greatness cannot be measured.
I will bless your name for ever, O Lord.
Age to age shall proclaim your works,
shall declare your mighty deeds,
shall speak of your splendour and glory,
tell the tale of your wonderful works.
I will bless your name for ever, O Lord.
All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord,
and your friends shall repeat their blessing.
They shall speak of the glory of your reign
and declare your might, O God.
I will bless your name for ever, O Lord.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Ac16:14 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Open our heart, O Lord,
to accept the words of your Son.
Alleluia!
Or: | 2Co8:9 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Jesus Christ was rich,
but he became poor for your sake,
to make you rich out of his poverty.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 16:9-15 |
Use money, tainted as it is, to win you friends
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘I tell you this: use money, tainted as it is, to win you friends, and thus make sure that when it fails you, they will welcome you into the tents of eternity. The man who can be trusted in little things can be trusted in great; the man who is dishonest in little things will be dishonest in great. If then you cannot be trusted with money, that tainted thing, who will trust you with genuine riches? And if you cannot be trusted with what is not yours, who will give you what is your very own?
‘No servant can be the slave of two masters: he will either hate the first and love the second, or treat the first with respect and the second with scorn. You cannot be the slave both of God and of money.’
The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and laughed at him. He said to them, ‘You are the very ones who pass yourselves off as virtuous in people’s sight, but God knows your hearts. For what is thought highly of by men is loathsome in the sight of God.’
WHAT IS REALLY OURS?
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ROM 16:3-9,16, 22-27; PS 145:2-5,10-11; LK 16:9-15 ]
In the world, people seek wealth, glory, and power. They truly believe that these are what make us happy and successful in life. Wealth provides us with all the comforts of life, glory satisfies our ego, and power gives us a sense of security over others. It is therefore not surprising that people in the world strive to increase their wealth, extend their power, and add laurel after laurel to their crown. But this is not merely the temptation of the world; they have been deceived by Satan. As the Lord said, “They do not know what they are doing.”
Unfortunately, so-called religious people also seek the same things that worldly people desire. Pope Francis calls this spiritual worldliness. In fact, this is even more insidious because it is masked under the guise of religion. This was the case with the religious leaders whom our Lord condemned in the Gospel. When Jesus spoke the truth about possessions and money, St. Luke noted, “The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and laughed at him.” They sneered at our Lord because, in their view, riches and wealth were signs of God’s blessing — proof that they were good and holy people. For them, to despise wealth would contradict their belief that blessings are a sign of holiness. Jesus said to them, “You are the very ones who pass yourselves off as virtuous in people’s sight, but God knows your hearts. For what is thought highly of by men is loathsome in the sight of God.” Isn’t this the same attitude held by those who believe in the prosperity gospel? The reason they come to God is not because they love Him, but because they love money and wealth. God becomes merely a means for them to become rich and powerful. When this motivation is taken away, God becomes redundant to them. True love of God means loving God for His own sake, sharing in His life and love.
In the Gospel, Jesus makes it clear that “No servant can be the slave of two masters: he will either hate the first and love the second, or treat the first with respect and the second with scorn.” The word Jesus used was slave. Today, in the modern world, a person can multi-task and even hold two or three jobs at the same time. He can work during the day for one organisation and in the evening for another. But a slave in those days belonged entirely to his master. There was no free time, nothing that he could call his own. His life and everything he had — his time and resources — belonged to his master. Likewise, God demands our entire being. We are to love and serve Him with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength (Dt 6:5).
Jesus stated unequivocally, “You cannot be the slave both of God and of money.” This does not mean that money is evil. Money is a means and an instrument for love and service; it is not an end in itself. It is the love of money that is the root of all evil. St. Paul wrote, “But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.” (1 Tim 6:9f) Truly, because of money, we cheat, lie, exploit others, and even kill.
Money, in the final analysis, does not belong to us. “If then you cannot be trusted with money, that tainted thing, who will trust you with genuine riches? And if you cannot be trusted with what is not yours, who will give you what is your very own?” Money is given to us by God on trust. We are stewards of His money and of whatever talents and possessions He has entrusted to us. We do not own them, because if we truly did, we would be able to take them with us wherever we go — even into the next life. But St. Paul reminds us, “We brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it.” (1 Tim 6:7) This is the obvious truth of life, which everyone knows but not everyone remains aware of all the time. We live as if we own these earthly things forever, when in reality, they are only temporary.
So, what is it that truly belongs to us? What is truly ours is the gift of eternal life — only that endures forever. Everything else on this earth passes away. Our health will fail one day. Our position in society will eventually be forgotten. Our name and achievements may be reduced to one or two sentences in the history books. Our wealth must be given away when we die, and our power will fade when our mind and body fail. Nothing lasts on this earth. This is why St. Paul reminds us, “Our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory.” (Phil 3:20f)
If we are truly conscious that the possessions of this world do not belong to us but are entrusted to us for the service of others, we should be good stewards and use them to build community, strengthen friendships, motivate people to do good by showing appreciation, and help the poor and needy. As Jesus said, “Use money, tainted as it is, to win you friends, and thus make sure that when it fails you, they will welcome you into the tents of eternity. The man who can be trusted in little things can be trusted in great; the man who is dishonest in little things will be dishonest in great.” Indeed, this is what money is meant for — to help us enjoy the little pleasures of life, but most of all, to foster good relationships and loving community. When money is used to build relationships, strengthen communion, and promote love, then it is well spent. If we cannot even use money — that tainted thing entrusted to us — rightly, how could God entrust us with real riches? It would be like throwing pearls before swine (Mt 7:6).
However, the Lord is not asking us to use money to bribe people. This is not what He meant when He said we should use money to make friends. Using money to bribe others serves our self-interest — to gain power or influence, often through unscrupulous means that further enrich ourselves. When we use money to “buy” or “tempt” people to become our accomplices in wrongdoing, we misuse it gravely. Such use of money benefits only a few greedy people and does not inspire goodness, sincerity, or trust. Money must be used instead to promote mutual understanding, friendship, love, and support.
In today’s first reading, St. Paul is the exemplar of how one should make use of one’s earthly goods and resources for the glory of God and His kingdom. In the final chapter of his letter, he made it clear that he was totally committed to Christ and to the proclamation of the Good News revealed to him: “Glory to him who is able to give you the strength to live according to the Good News I preach, and in which I proclaim Jesus Christ, the revelation of a mystery kept secret for endless ages, but now so clear that it must be broadcast to pagans everywhere to bring them to the obedience of faith.” Having received the Good News with joy and gratitude, he felt compelled to share this revelation — especially with the Gentiles — so that they, too, might render the obedience of faith: an obedience that flows from the love of God and trust in His message, not one coerced by fear. Everything that St. Paul possessed was used for the proclamation of the Gospel. “This is only what Scripture has predicted, and it is all part of the way the eternal God wants things to be. He alone is wisdom; give glory therefore to Him through Jesus Christ forever and ever. Amen.”
But he did not do this work alone. He built deep friendships with many of his collaborators in the mission. In this letter, we read his greetings to all those who helped him in his ministry — such as Prisca and Aquila, his fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their lives to save his. He also greeted those who allowed their houses to be used for gatherings, and the many women who laboured with him to bring the Gospel to all. Indeed, we have a long list of names who stood side by side with him. Great indeed is the blessing of knowing that, as Christians, we are never alone but belong to a family — brothers and sisters who support one another as we work and labour in the vineyard of the Lord. There is nothing more rewarding than belonging to a loving and supportive family of faith.
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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