Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection November 07, 2025

07th November 2025 (Friday)

Psalter: Week 3

Readings of the Day

First Reading: Romans 15:14-21

I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring 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 and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.”

Psalm 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4 (R. see 2b)

R/. The Lord has shown his deliverance to the nations

Gospel Acclamation

V/. Alleluia

R/. Alleluia

V/. Whoever keeps Christ’s word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.

R/. Alleluia

Gospel: Luke 16:1-8

At that time: Jesus said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.

Daily Gospel Reflection

Friday – 31st Week in Ordinary Time

Main Point: Our earthly life is temporary and so it has limited durability. There is destiny and the destination of eternal life. Therefore, there is a compulsory moment of departure from the earth and a day of reckoning and judgment

1. In the gospel, Jesus speaks of a dishonest steward who gets dismissed from his stewardship because of his mismanagement. On his dismissal, he manipulates the accounts of the debtors, reducing the measures of what they owe to pay. He favours them so that he can be favoured by them in his bad times. Strangely, the master praises this steward.

2. Here let one not pick up the wrong message that dishonesty, deception, and manipulation are justified and appreciated. Not at all! One cannot expect that from Jesus. He may condone weakness and incompetence but never fraud and unaccountability.

3. What is complimented and made imitable is not his dishonesty but his foresightedness. He is so well-prepared to meet his future. He does not sit back to lament and curse over his dismissal and the consequent misery. Immediately, he jumps into action. He has a vision and plans about how to face his impending difficult situations.

4. If that steward is so far-sighted, foresighted, and well-prepared for a temporary future, how much more we must be clear-sighted and well-prepared to encounter our eternal future? If he is so shrewd about mere earthly riches, how much more we must be wise and discerning regarding our heavenly riches?

5. If he is so judicious in dealing with material goods and accumulating them for a short future, how much more we should be assiduous in piling up spiritual goods for an unending eternity? If he made use of the temporal goods to do favour to others and to win their favour, how much do we make use of our various resources to do good to others?

6. In contrast to this dishonest steward in the gospel, we have an honest steward in the person of Paul in the first reading. He is an authentic, faithful, and committed steward. He is ever conscious of his special vocation and mission, gifted by God.

7. That is to be “a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God”. Unlike the dishonest steward, Paul feels every reason “to be proud of his work for God”.

My Practice: In a world where there is so much dishonesty and manipulation concerning material things, we need to recapture the spirit of a responsible and accountable steward. We shall not have reason to face disgrace from the master!