Tony Worner, Leader of Formation for St Agnes’ Catholic Parish reads from Luke’s Gospel (16: 9-15) in which Jesus says, ‘No servant can be the slave of two masters. They will either hate the first or love the second, or they will treat the first with respect and the second with scorn’. You cannot serve both God and money’. Afterwards Tony shares a little about the life of St Martin of Tours whose memorial we celebrate today. Reflecting on the life of Martin of Tours, Tony says, he was also known as Martin the Merciful, and was the third bishop of Tours. Martin was born to pagan parents in 316 or 336AD, just after Emperor Constantine stopped the persecutions of Christians and made Christianity the religion of the Empire. He died in 397. At 10, he became a Christian. At 15, he followed his father into the cavalry of the Roman military. Legend has it that, as a young soldier, Martin encountered a beggar and shared his cloak by cutting it in half, giving half to the beggar and clothing himself in the left over. That night, Martin had a vision in which Christ appeared to him saying, “Martin, a mere catechumen has clothed me”. When he awoke, his garment was restored. That was the beginning of Martin living out his Christian life more fully, often declaring that he has become Christ’s soldier and that he wasn’t allowed to fight. He has become one of the most familiar and recognizable Christian saints in France, being depicted in paintings and sculptures on a horse helping a beggar. He is patron against poverty and alcoholism, of beggars, soldiers, wine growers and makers. In closing, Tony invites us to pray: ‘God, may we embrace Christianity as fully and faithfully as Martin did… Martin of Tours, pray for us!’ Note: Fr Paul returns to our Gospel Reflections next week.