Daily Reading and Questions for Reflection November 11, 2024

Daily Reading for Monday, November 11th, 2024

Reading 1, Titus 1:1-9

1  From Paul, servant of God, an apostle of Jesus Christ to bring those whom God has chosen to faith and to the knowledge of the truth that leads to true religion,

2  and to give them the hope of the eternal life that was promised so long ago by God. He does not lie

3  and so, in due time, he made known his message by a proclamation which was entrusted to me by the command of God our Saviour.

4  To Titus, true child of mine in the faith that we share. Grace and peace from God the Father and from Christ Jesus our Saviour.

5  The reason I left you behind in Crete was for you to organise everything that still had to be done and appoint elders in every town, in the way that I told you,

6  that is, each of them must be a man of irreproachable character, husband of one wife, and his children must be believers and not liable to be charged with disorderly conduct or insubordination.

7  The presiding elder has to be irreproachable since he is God's representative: never arrogant or hottempered, nor a heavy drinker or violent, nor avaricious;

8  but hospitable and a lover of goodness; sensible, upright, devout and self-controlled;

9  and he must have a firm grasp of the unchanging message of the tradition, so that he can be counted on both for giving encouragement in sound doctrine and for refuting those who argue against it.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

1  [Psalm Of David] To Yahweh belong the earth and all it contains, the world and all who live there;

2  it is he who laid its foundations on the seas, on the flowing waters fixed it firm.

3  Who shall go up to the mountain of Yahweh? Who shall take a stand in his holy place?

4  The clean of hands and pure of heart, whose heart is not set on vanities, who does not swear an oath in order to deceive.

5  Such a one will receive blessing from Yahweh, saving justice from the God of his salvation.

6  Such is the people that seeks him, that seeks your presence, God of Jacob.

Gospel, Luke 17:1-6

1  He said to his disciples, 'Causes of falling are sure to come, but alas for the one through whom they occur!

2  It would be better for such a person to be thrown into the sea with a millstone round the neck than to be the downfall of a single one of these little ones.

3  Keep watch on yourselves! 'If your brother does something wrong, rebuke him and, if he is sorry, forgive him.

4  And if he wrongs you seven times a day and seven times comes back to you and says, "I am sorry," you must forgive him.'

5  The apostles said to the Lord, 'Increase our faith.'

6  The Lord replied, 'If you had faith like a mustard seed you could say to this mulberry tree, "Be uprooted and planted in the sea," and it would obey you.

Questions for Reflection for November 11, 2024

1.      The Apostle Paul brought Titus, a pagan, to faith in Jesus Christ and discipled him. He ordained him as a Bishop and left him on the Island of Crete to build up the local church there by ordaining priests, caring for and instructing the faithful. In this letter he is instructing him about the character required of elders. The traits the Apostle points should be the goal of every Christian. They are cultivated by a life of responding to the grace of God, practicing virtue, prayer and growing in holiness- in accordance with our specific vocation. Are we on that path of Christian maturity?

2.      The Psalmist reminds us in song that the whole earth belongs to God, the creator. It has been entrusted to us, His people, to be good stewards over it. The Lord wants us to be holy, clean of hands and pure of heart. That requires turning from sin and turning toward God every day. How did we begin our day today? Did we turn to God first and invite Jesus Christ to be our Lord. Did we put Him, and His kingdom first?

3.      Jesus warns his disciples of the seriousness of causing anyone to fall away. That can occur by many means. Perhaps due to our failure to "walk the walk," in other words by not being a genuine Christian witness. Or, perhaps by failing to teach or defend the truth, revealed by the Lord in His word and the teaching of His Church. The disciples understood the seriousness of such possibilities and asked the Lord for an increase in faith. We are His contemporary disciples. Are we worried about our witness? Are we guarding the truth of the Faith given to us and accurately sharing it with others?