＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

Philippians 1:1-11

From Paul and Timothy,

Ser­vants of Christ Jesus, to the saints in Philippi, with their bishops and deacons; to you all in Christ Jesus: May grace and peace be yours from God, our Father, and Christ Jesus the Lord.

 I give thanks to my God each time I remember you, and when I pray for you, I pray with joy. I cannot forget all you shared with me in the service of the Gospel, from the first day until now. Since God began such a good work in you, I am certain that he will complete it in the day of Christ Jesus.

 This is my hope for you, for I carry you all in my heart: whether I am in prison or defending and confirming the Gospel, you are with me and share the same grace.

 God knows that I love you dearly with the love of Christ Jesus, and in my prayers I ask that your love may lead you each day to a deeper knowledge and clearer discernment, that you may have good criteria for every­thing.

So you may be pure of heart and come blameless to the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of holiness that comes through Christ Jesus, for the glory and praise of God.

 

Ps 111:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

How great are the works of the Lord!

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

Luke 14:1-6

One Sabbath Jesus had gone to eat a meal in the house of a leading Pharisee, and he was carefully watched. In front of him was a man suffering from dropsy; so Jesus asked the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” 

But no one answered. Jesus then took the man, healed him and sent him away. And he addressed them, “If your lamb or your ox falls into a well on a Sabbath day, who among you doesn’t hurry to pull it out?” And they could not ans­wer.

 

Gospel Reflection：

For some days now we have been listening to St. Paul’s message to the Ephesians. Today we turn our attention to his letter the the Philippians. St. Paul begins this letter by calling the Philippians “saints!” How timely! In a couple of days we shall be celebrating “All Saints Day” and “All souls Day.”

”It is a good time to rejoice in our vocation, our call to holiness, our call to become “saints!” I love this letter of St. Paul! In this letter he opens his heart and reveals his tender affection for the community of believers in Philippi.

He assures them of his prayers as he remembers with joy and gratitude their love for him and their cooperation with his when he was with them. As we draw closer to “All Saints Day”and “All souls day” our thoughts go to loved ones who have shared our lives.

We remember our beloved dead. We are reminded to pray for them as we hope and pray that our beloved dead may be counted amongst the “Saints”in heaven.

When, therefore, in the next days we go to visit our beloved dead in our cemeteries let us realize that we go to a sacred ground, “Campo Santo,” in order to pray.