20261114 HOSPITALITY AND SUPPORT FOR OUR MISSIONARIES
14 November 2026, Saturday, 32nd Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | 3 John 5-8 |
It is our duty to welcome missionaries and contribute our share to their work
My friend, you have done faithful work in looking after these brothers, even though they were complete strangers to you. They are a proof to the whole Church of your charity and it would be a very good thing if you could help them on their journey in a way that God would approve. It was entirely for the sake of the name that they set out, without depending on the pagans for anything; it is our duty to welcome men of this sort and contribute our share to their work for the truth.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 111(112):1-6 |
Happy the man who takes delight in the commands of the Lord.
Happy the man who fears the Lord,
who takes delight in all his commands.
His sons will be powerful on earth;
the children of the upright are blessed.
Happy the man who takes delight in the commands of the Lord.
Riches and wealth are in his house;
his justice stands firm for ever.
He is a light in the darkness for the upright:
he is generous, merciful and just.
Happy the man who takes delight in the commands of the Lord.
The good man takes pity and lends,
he conducts his affairs with honour.
The just man will never waver:
he will be remembered for ever.
Happy the man who takes delight in the commands of the Lord.
Gospel Acclamation | Jm1:21 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Accept and submit to the word
which has been planted in you
and can save your souls.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 18:1-8 |
The parable of the unjust judge
Jesus told his disciples a parable about the need to pray continually and never lose heart. ‘There was a judge in a certain town’ he said ‘who had neither fear of God nor respect for man. In the same town there was a widow who kept on coming to him and saying, “I want justice from you against my enemy!” For a long time he refused, but at last he said to himself, “Maybe I have neither fear of God nor respect for man, but since she keeps pestering me I must give this widow her just rights, or she will persist in coming and worry me to death.”’
And the Lord said ‘You notice what the unjust judge has to say? Now will not God see justice done to his chosen who cry to him day and night even when he delays to help them? I promise you, he will see justice done to them, and done speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find any faith on earth?’
HOSPITALITY AND SUPPORT FOR OUR MISSIONARIES
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [3 JOHN 5-8; LUKE 18:1-8]
It is significant that St. John praised Gaius for showing hospitality, especially to fellow Christian missionaries: “My friend, you have done faithful work in looking after these brothers, even though they were complete strangers to you.” During the early days of Christianity, offering hospitality to itinerant missionaries was expected of believers. In line with St. John’s reminder to live out the commandment of love, this hospitality was truly praiseworthy. St. John added, “They are a proof to the whole Church of your charity, and it would be a very good thing if you could help them on their journey in a way that God would approve.”
What is important to note is that welcoming itinerant teachers and preachers was a practical way to support their common mission of spreading the Gospel. Since their work was essentially to proclaim the Good News, we cannot expect non-believers to cover their expenses. As St. John wrote, “It was entirely for the sake of the name that they set out, without depending on the pagans for anything; it is our duty to welcome men of this sort and contribute our share to their work for the truth.” Because all Christians share the same obligation to spread the Gospel to all nations by virtue of our baptism, it is our duty to contribute to this mission through voluntary service, gifts in kind, or financial support. No one is exempt from this responsibility. This is why the Church celebrates Mission Sunday, sending all collections from that day to Rome to support the spread of the Gospel in countries that need financial assistance.
Unfortunately, aside from giving money on Mission Sunday, many Catholics lack a sense of urgency to contribute to the work of evangelisation and mission, whether locally or abroad. Most Sunday collections go toward the upkeep of the Church. This awareness of the need to support the mission is weak among both our priests and our laity. Most of the time, we tend to be inward-looking, caring only for our own parish and the needs of our parishioners. Yet it is not enough to build a “maintenance” Church. To truly be the Church, we must not only be vibrant, but we must also constantly go out to find new members and bring more people to Christ. How much of our parish funds are actually used for evangelisation? Far more is spent on maintaining the church and restoring infrastructure than on the work of mission itself.
This is why, as an Archdiocese, our goal is to awaken our Catholics to the need to be an evangelising and missionary Church. All of us must do our part to foster this mission, whether by taking an active role or by contributing financially. Up until the 19th century, prior to Vatican II, the Church was deeply conscious of the need to spread the Gospel, which accounted for so many missionaries being sent to Asia, Africa, and the Far East. Unfortunately, following Vatican II, a misunderstanding of the teaching that people could be saved by their conscience without explicitly belonging to the Church caused missionary zeal to fade. Because people no longer felt an urgency to baptise non-believers, the Church became a maintenance Church. Today, most Catholics lack the evangelical zeal of the early Christians, and mission work is often met with a lukewarm response. We see this reflected in the number of converts each year in our RCIA classes. Of course, compared to the West, 1,250 baptisms (and those received into full communion) out of 395,000 Catholics is considered an achievement. However, for Asia and Africa, this is a paltry number compared to the rapid growth of Christians in Protestant churches.
In fact, Protestant churches are often more proactive in helping sister churches in other countries spread the Gospel, whether by sending missionaries or contributing financially. Yet, this was the very spirit that existed in the early Church. When we study the history of the early Church, we see frequent communication and exchange among different local Christian communities. They were deeply conscious that they formed one Body of Christ; they were not parochial-minded, inward-looking, exclusivist, or indifferent to the needs of sister churches. Even during the time of St. Paul, we read of the generosity of the Christians in Philippi, who sent financial contributions to support his missionary journeys (cf. Phil 4:10-20). St. Paul also called upon the churches in Corinth to assist the Church in Jerusalem during times of hardship (cf. 2 Cor 8).
Today, more than ever, as the universal Church of Christ, our parishes have a duty to support poorer parishes within the Archdiocese, and the Archdiocese has a responsibility to support not only the universal Church through Rome, but also sister churches that turn to us for help. Through CHARIS and other affiliated groups, our Archdiocese collects money not only to help the poor in Singapore, but also to assist the poor overseas through humanitarian programs. However, humanitarian aid is only an indirect involvement in evangelisation. Our Archdiocese also financially supports many dioceses in Asia, Africa, and India that are too poor to even maintain their priests and missions. The needs are vast, and we know we cannot help everyone. Indeed, supporting the Christian mission is our common responsibility, a Christian duty, and an act of Christian love.
Even so, we do as much as we can–even giving from our own needs to help others–simply because we belong to one universal Church and one Body of Christ. We remember the extraordinary generosity of the churches of Macedonia in responding to St. Paul’s appeal for help: “We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that has been granted to the churches of Macedonia; for during a severe ordeal of affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For, as I can testify, they voluntarily gave according to their means, and even beyond their means, begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry to the saints–and this, not merely as we expected; they gave themselves first to the Lord and, by the will of God, to us” (2 Cor 8:1-5).
Of course, when helping foreign missionaries and itinerant preachers, we must not be naïve. We live in a corrupt world, which unfortunately can include unscrupulous priests who use their vocation or religious life for personal financial gain. We must remain watchful to ensure we are not supporting the wrong causes or dishonest individuals. While we have an obligation to help missionaries, we must be certain that they genuinely cannot support themselves and that our contributions are used strictly for the mission, rather than for luxurious living. Because of these temptations and risks, the Church has put strict policies in place today to ensure that the faithful’s contributions go where they are truly needed–for the spread of the Gospel and the proclamation of His name.
Finally, the Gospel reminds us of the need to practice justice. God wants justice to be served to His people, and we must pray that more of us will become generous like our Lord, ensuring that all His people are cared for and the prayers of the righteous are heard. The persistent widow in Scripture is a symbol of the poor, the defenceless, and the needy who lack resources, yet she persevered in prayer. Let us also respond to such cries for help, remembering the Lord’s promise: “Now will not God see justice done to his chosen who cry to him day and night even when he delays to help them? I promise you, he will see justice done to them, and done speedily.”
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.
