REFLECTION/HOMILY FOR FRIDAY OF THE 31ST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR I 10TH NOVEMBER 2023

REFLECTION/HOMILY FOR FRIDAY OF THE 31ST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR I 10TH NOVEMBER 2023

Rom.15:14-21; Ps.98; Luke 16:1-8

Be a channel of God’s blessings

In the first reading of today, Paul recounted with great joy what the grace of God has achieved through him particularly amongst the gentiles. He bore personal witness to his hardwork amongst the gentiles, not building on any foundation but from scratch. He has been able to preach the gospel both in words and in deeds; he has been able to persevere even when preaching was most difficult. Was it necessary that Paul should make this boast? Since all that he achieved was by the grace of God, was he supposed to speak proudly about them?

The narrative of Paul is not out of place. Paul would have been wrong if he had never acknowledged that it was the grace of God that worked through him. Paul clearly called himself a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. He saw himself as a servant who only acted as he was instructed. However, Paul was able to minister well because he was docile to the promptings of the Lord. So, today, Paul is simply enumerating the moments he submitted to the will of God.

This is something worth considering by all Christians. More often than not, we are concerned about what we want God to do for us. When we are able to identified God’s manifold works in our lives, we talk about it happily. But like St. Paul, have we bordered about considering what God has done through us for others? Can we testify of many signs and wonders in the lives of others by God through us? This will invariably mean that we should consider how docile we have been to doing God’s will.

Beloved, God is ever disposed to blessing you, no doubt. But He is also disposed to blessing others through you. The psalmist joyfully speaks of the deliverance of the Lord to the nations. The fact is, it is part of our bounded duty to encounter others in such a way that they will be filled with thanksgiving to God. Although we can be joyful when the Lord blesses us, the joy is greater when God blesses others through us. A dispenser of God’s blessings can never be left unblessed.