*4th of November 2022*

*Friday in the 31st week of Ordinary Time, Year 11*

_(St. Charles Borromeo)_

_Phil. 17:3-4:1_

_Lk. 16:1-8_

*Such is the nature of faith that the greater are the obstacles*it encounters, the more ardent it becomes*(St. Charles Borromeo).

The Church today celebrates the memorial of St Charles Borromeo(1564-1584). His name is synonymous with reformation. As a young man, he was entrusted with offices connected with the Vatican. He worked tirelessly in keeping the Council of Trent in session especially when it was on the verge of breaking up. Also, during the plaque and famine of 1576, Charles fed 70,000 people daily. He even went as far as borrowing to do this.

The readings of today tells us to be proactive in living out our faith.

In the first reading, St. Paul having warned his audience about fake teachers, reminded them of the need to be resolute in living out their faith.

Jesus uses the parable of the astute servant in the gospel, who took a decisive action to secure his future to teach us to to be proactive in living out our faith.

Jesus in the gospel of today told us that the master praised the dishonest servant for his astuteness in making efforts that he secured his future when dismissed. Dearest friends, there are moments in life when our backs go against the wall, when we go through crisis, it could be crisis in spiritual life, it could be as regards our lives generally. The Lord reminds us that no matter what happens in our lives, it is not a moment to be passive. That we should not sit back and just watch, we have to do something. 

It is good to know that the Lord has blessed us with the gifts to wriggle out of situations. We must not allow them go dormant. The Lord will bless and reward those little efforts if we put them into use.

•Have you taken time to observe those who engage in crimes, either cyber crimes or physical crimes. You will observe the time and energy they put in in order to succeed in their works? Jesus tells us that if the children of the world can put in such time in those negative lifestyles, we need to double our efforts when dealing with the things of God.

•Do you know that each moment in your life is a time for decision making? The dishonest servant today took a decision when he felt things were no longer going to be same. This could be decision to start doing something, or to stop.

•Friends, crisis sometimes can bring out the best in us. There are some people who work well under pressure. We should try to bring out the best in order to succeed. However, this does not mean that we have to wait for those moments to come before we begin to plan. 

•Friendship is more than money. This is another lesson we could learn from the shrewd servant today. He forefeited some money he could have collected for something of higher value. He understood that there are things of higher value than material benefits.

*May Charles Borromeo pray for us*

(Fr. Camillus Nwaigwe)