DAILY BIBLE READINGS: NOVEMBER 03, 2025 – MONDAY
Monday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1
Romans 11:29-36
Brothers and sisters:
The gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.
Just as you once disobeyed God
but have now received mercy
because of their disobedience,
so they have now disobeyed in order that,
by virtue of the mercy shown to you,
they too may now receive mercy.
For God delivered all to disobedience,
that he might have mercy upon all.
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!
How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways!
For who has known the mind of the Lord
or who has been his counselor?
Or who has given him anything
that he may be repaid?
For from him and through him and for him are all things.
To God be glory forever. Amen.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 69:30-31, 33-34, 36
R. (14c) Lord, in your great love, answer me.
But I am afflicted and in pain;
let your saving help, O God, protect me.
I will praise the name of God in song,
and I will glorify him with thanksgiving.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
“See, you lowly ones, and be glad;
you who seek God, may your hearts revive!
For the LORD hears the poor,
and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.”
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
For God will save Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah.
They shall dwell in the land and own it,
and the descendants of his servants shall inherit it,
and those who love his name shall inhabit it.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
Alleluia
John 8:31b-32
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples,
and you will know the truth, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Luke 14:12-14
On a sabbath Jesus went to dine
at the home of one of the leading Pharisees.
He said to the host who invited him,
“When you hold a lunch or a dinner,
do not invite your friends or your brothers or sisters
or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors,
in case they may invite you back and you have repayment.
Rather, when you hold a banquet,
invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;
blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.
For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
PERSONAL REFLECTION
This passage from Luke’s Gospel invites a profound reexamination of how I view generosity, status, and the meaning of blessing. Jesus’ words challenge the deep human tendency to give with the expectation of return—whether in recognition, affection, or social standing. In calling his followers to invite those who cannot repay, Jesus invites me to a form of love that mirrors God’s own — selfless, unconditional, and quietly radiant.
When I picture Jesus seated at the Pharisee’s table, speaking these words, I imagine the unease that might have filled the room. His teaching flips social norms upside down. Instead of striving for reciprocal relationships and visible success, Jesus calls me to embrace humility, to extend grace to those who live unseen, and to find joy in the invisible reward — the reward of aligning my heart with God’s mercy.
This reflection reminds me that true generosity is not transactional but transformational. It’s not measured by what returns to me, but by how deeply it roots me in compassion. Each act of kindness given freely, without expectation, becomes a quiet echo of the coming resurrection — a glimpse of the Kingdom where every table is open, every guest is cherished, and love is no longer a currency but the feast itself.