Well For The Man Who Is Gracious And Lends; His Generosity Will Endure Forever.

Saturday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Reading I
Philippians 4:10-19
Brothers and sisters:
I rejoice greatly in the Lord
that now at last you revived your concern for me.
You were, of course, concerned about me
but lacked an opportunity.
Not that I say this because of need,
for I have learned,
in whatever situation I find myself,
to be self-sufficient.
I know indeed how to live
in humble circumstances;
I know also how to live with abundance.
In every circumstance and in all things
I have learned the secret
of being well fed and of going hungry,
of living in abundance and of being in need.
I have the strength for everything
through him who empowers me.
Still, it was kind of you to share in my distress.

You Philippians indeed know
that at the beginning of the Gospel,
when I left Macedonia,
not a single church shared with me
in an account of giving and receiving,
except you alone.
For even when I was at Thessalonica
you sent me something for my needs,
not only once but more than once.
It is not that I am eager for the gift;
rather, I am eager for the profit
that accrues to your account.
I have received full payment and I abound.
I am very well supplied
because of what I received from you
through Epaphroditus,
“a fragrant aroma,”
an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.
My God will fully supply whatever you need,
in accord with his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
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Responsorial
Psalm 112
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
Blessed the man who fears the LORD,
who greatly delights in his commands.
His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth;
the upright generation shall be blessed.
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
Well for the man who is gracious and lends,
who conducts his affairs with justice;
He shall never be moved;
the just one shall be in everlasting remembrance.
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear.
Lavishly he gives to the poor;
his generosity shall endure forever;
his horn shall be exalted in glory.
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
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Gospel
Luke 16:9-15
Jesus said to his disciples:
“I tell you, make friends for yourselves
with dishonest wealth,
so that when it fails,
you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
The person who is trustworthy
in very small matters
is also trustworthy in great ones;
and the person who is dishonest
in very small matters
is also dishonest in great ones.
If, therefore, you are not trustworthy
with dishonest wealth,
who will trust you with true wealth?
If you are not trustworthy
with what belongs to another,
who will give you what is yours?
No servant can serve two masters.
He will either hate one and love the other,
or be devoted to one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and mammon.”

The Pharisees, who loved money,
heard all these things and sneered at him.
And he said to them,
“You justify yourselves in the sight of others,
but God knows your hearts;
for what is of human esteem
is an abomination in the sight of God.”
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St. Nicholas Tavelic and Companions
(d. 1391)

Nicholas and his three companions are among the 158 Franciscans who have been martyred in the Holy Land since the friars became custodians of the shrines in 1335.  

Nicholas was born in 1340 to a wealthy and noble family in Croatia. He joined the Franciscans and was sent with Deodat of Rodez to preach in Bosnia. In 1384 they volunteered for the Holy Land missions and were sent there. They looked after the holy places, cared for the Christian pilgrims and studied Arabic.

In 1391 Nicholas, Deodat, Peter of Narbonne and Stephen of Cuneo decided to take a direct approach to converting the Muslims. On November 11, 1391, they went to the huge Mosque of Omar in Jerusalem and asked to see the Qadi (Muslim official). Reading from a prepared statement, they said that all people must accept the gospel of Jesus. When they were ordered to retract their statement, they refused. After beatings and imprisonment, they were beheaded before a large crowd.

Nicholas and his companions were canonized in 1970. They are the only Franciscans martyred in the Holy Land to be canonized.

Comment:

Francis presented two missionary approaches for his friars. Nicholas and his companions followed the first approach (live quietly and give witness to Christ) for several years. Then they felt called to take the second approach of preaching openly. Their Franciscan confreres in the Holy Land are still working by example to make Jesus better known.

Quote: 

In the Rule of 1221, Francis wrote that the friars going to the Saracens (Muslims) "can conduct themselves among them spiritually in two ways. One way is to avoid quarrels or disputes and 'be subject to every human creature for God's sake' (1 Peter 2:13), so bearing witness to the fact that they are Christians. Another way is to proclaim the word of God openly, when they see that is God's will, calling on their hearers to believe in God almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Creator of all, and in the Son, the Redeemer and Savior, that they may be baptized and become true and spiritual Christians" (Ch. 16).

Saint of the Day
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