Friday of the Thirty-first week in Ordinary Time
Letter to the Romans 15:14-21.
I myself am convinced about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to admonish one another.
But I have written to you rather boldly in some respects to remind you, because of the grace given me by God
to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in performing the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering up of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the holy Spirit.
In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to boast in what pertains to God.
For I will not dare to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to lead the Gentiles to obedience by word and deed,
by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit (of God), so that from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum I have finished preaching the gospel of Christ.
Thus I aspire to proclaim the gospel not where Christ has already been named, so that I do not build on another’s foundation,
but as it is written: “Those who have never been told of him shall see, and those who have never heard of him shall understand.”

Psalms 98:1.2-4.
Sing a new song to the LORD, who has done marvelous deeds, Whose right hand and holy arm have won the victory.
The LORD has made his victory known; has revealed his triumph for the nations to see,
Has remembered faithful love toward the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.
Shout with joy to the LORD, all the earth; break into song; sing praise.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 16:1-8.
Then he also said to his disciples, “A rich man had a steward who was reported to him for squandering his property.
He summoned him and said, ‘What is this I hear about you? Prepare a full account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward.’
The steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do, now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me? I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg.
I know what I shall do so that, when I am removed from the stewardship, they may welcome me into their homes.’
He called in his master’s debtors one by one. To the first he said, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
He replied, ‘One hundred measures of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note. Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.’
Then to another he said, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘One hundred kors of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note; write one for eighty.’
And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently. “For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.
Commentary of the day : Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus
The good use of riches

Thursday of the Thirty-first week in Ordinary Time

Today the Church celebrates : St. Bertilla, Abbess (7th century)

See commentary below or click here
Ludolph of Saxony : Come, seek your lost sheep

Letter to the Romans 14:7-12.

None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself. For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For this is why Christ died and came to life, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living. Why then do you judge your brother? Or you, why do you look down on your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written: “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bend before me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.” So (then) each of us shall give an account of himself (to God).

Psalms 27:1.4.13-14.

Of David The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom do I fear? The LORD is my life’s refuge; of whom am I afraid?
One thing I ask of the LORD; this I seek: To dwell in the LORD’S house all the days of my life, To gaze on the LORD’S beauty, to visit his temple.
But I believe I shall enjoy the LORD’S goodness in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD, take courage; be stouthearted, wait for the LORD!

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 15:1-10.

The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to him, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So to them he addressed this parable. What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance. Or what woman having ten coins and losing one would not light a lamp and sweep the house, searching carefully until she finds it? And when she does find it, she calls together her friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.’ In just the same way, I tell you, there will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB

Commentary of the day :

Ludolph of Saxony (c.1300-1378), Dominican then Carthusian at Strasbourg
Prayers to Jésus Christ, CLD

Come, seek your lost sheep

Lord Jesus Christ, to teach us the summit of virtue you ascended the mountain with your disciples and taught them the Beatitudes and highest virtues, promising them the rewards applicable to each. Grant that my weakness may hear your voice, that I may apply myself through their practice to acquire the merit of the virtues so that by your mercy I may receive the promised reward. As I consider the payment do not let me refuse the effort of the labor. Make my hope of eternal salvation sweeten the bitterness of the cure, inflaming my soul with the splendor of your work. Out of the wretched person I am, create one of the blessed; from the blessedness here below lead me through your grace to the blessedness of the homeland.

Come, Lord Jesus Christ, in search of your servant, seeking your erring and exhausted sheep. Come, Spouse of the Church, in search of your lost coin. Come, Father of mercies, welcome the prodigal son returning to you. Come, then, Lord, for you are the only one able to call back the sheep that has strayed, to find the lost drachma, to reconcile the runaway son. Cone, that there may be salvation on earth and joy in heaven! Turn me towards you and grant that I may carry out a true and perfect repentance so that I may become an occasion for joy among the angels. Sweetest Jesus, I pray you, by the immensity of your love for me, a sinner, grant that I may love you alone above all things, that I may be consoled by none but you, my sweetest God!

Letter to the Romans 13:8-10.
Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; you shall not kill; you shall not steal; you shall not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this saying, (namely) “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law.

Psalms 112(111):1-2.4-5.9.
Hallelujah! Happy are those who fear the LORD, who greatly delight in God’s commands.
Their descendants shall be mighty in the land, generation upright and blessed.
They shine through the darkness, a light for the upright; they are gracious, merciful, and just.
All goes well for those gracious in lending, who conduct their affairs with justice.
Lavishly they give to the poor; their prosperity shall endure forever; their horn shall be exalted in honor.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 14:25-33.
Great crowds were traveling with him, and he turned and addressed them,
If any one comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.
Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion?
Otherwise, after laying the foundation and finding himself unable to finish the work the onlookers should laugh at him
and say, ‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’
Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down and decide whether with ten thousand troops he can successfully oppose another king advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops?
But if not, while he is still far away, he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms.
In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.
Commentary of the day : Saint Bonaventure
Saint Francis renounces everything to follow Christ