25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C, Year I)
Community Word: True disciples bear the nature and character of Jesus.
Theme: We bear the nature and character of Jesus when we are trustworthy stewards of His resources.
Promise: “He raises up the lowly from the dust; from the dunghill he lifts up the poor to seat them with princes, with the princes of his own people.” (Ps 113:7-8)
Reflection:
“…You cannot serve God and money.” (Luke 16:13)
In this age when people seem stuck in their desire to eke out a living and provide a comfortable life for their family, there is a tendency to push God aside. Worship of God has not only become mechanical but it has been turned into an obligation that people need to go through and that’s it.
And there are those who think they can buy their way to salvation by picking up the tab whenever the church needs a new roof or a new coat of paint. They are the ones who will rise to the occasion whenever the church or community will be in need of funds for a certain project or program. And of course there are also those whose giving is motivated by their desire to control or manipulate their parish, community or ministry for that matter.
But in this Gospel passage, Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and this time he gave them an illustration that will clearly define their attitude towards God and their love for wealth and power. In a way this passage is also for us because in our own journey of faith, we will have to choose between God and money and there is nothing in between and there are no gray areas either. It’s either we choose to be on the side of God or we choose to remain imprisoned in the world. Jesus, however, qualified that money is not evil and it can also be used for meaningful purposes.
If we look back to the passage before this, Jesus showed that money can be used not as an investment to bribe God and earn for us a place in heaven, but to help other people find their way to God. Without thinking of the rewards, our helping the needful especially those whom we can lead to Christ through the financial resources that we have will reap for us eternal benefits. The Jews firmly believe that charity given to the poor would be credited to the giver in the world to come. And commenting on the rich fool who built bigger barns to store his harvest, St. Ambrose said “the bosoms of the poor, the house of widows, the mouths of children are the barns which last forever.”
Money can be used for selfish purposes or it can be used to make life easier for others. As God has been merciful to us during the times when we are in need, so we too are being asked to follow the shrewd steward who used his position to make friends whom he expect will help him at some future time. Generous giving is related to alms-giving and those to whom we give become our friends and they will ultimately see Christ through us. In time, our generosity will lead us to eternity as St. Ambrose commented.
The opposite of generosity is greed or the excessive desire for wealth and power. And greed doesn’t only refer to the accumulation of material possessions but also to the insatiable desire for power and position. Generosity nurtures the soul while greed blocks the flow of Grace in a person.
This parable teaches us the need to manage the resources that God has entrusted to us. Once again, we are faced with the reality that we have been put in charge of things that are not ours. While these resources have their present-day use and after-life benefit, still we cannot take these resources with us when we finally meet our Maker. In other words, we are merely stewards and our place in heaven will largely depend on how wise we manage these resources that were lent to us. These resources include our talent, skills, positions, the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit and as we go through life we need to constantly account for our actions and be an exemplar for honesty and integrity even on small matters.
Indeed money, wealth and power can corrupt but it also brings some benefit to the person with such. As money and greed have the power to ease out God in our lives, it can ultimately become our master and this is what Jesus is warning us in this parable. A master is one who rules our lives and in this life there is a tendency we can be ruled by love of money and possessions, power of position, the glamor associated with wealth and prestige. These can control not only our thoughts but even our desires and values. On the other side is God who offers us peace of mind and a place in his heavenly kingdom where we will reign in glory in the company of his angels and his saints.
Jesus demands that we choose between God and mammon because we cannot dwell in God and immerse ourselves in the cares of this world. And there shouldn’t be any doubt or vacillation in the way we make our choice. To take the side of God assures us of our eternal inheritance in heaven. To remain in the world would lead us to the fiery furnace where there will be gnashing and grinding of teeth.
There is only one Master and that is Our God who created us, Jesus Christ who redeemed us and freed us from our slavery to sinful desires and greed and, the Holy Spirit who sanctifies the work of our hands.
Reflection Questions:
1. How trustworthy are we as good stewards of God’s provisions and resources? Do we use them for the greater glory of God?
2. Make an assessment of your spiritual journey and see if you are becoming less loving of the ways of the world.
This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
September 22, 2013 (Sun) Am 8:4-7/Ps 113:1,2.4-8/1Tm 2:1-8/Lk 16:1-13 or 16:10-13
September 23, 2013 (Mon) Ezr 1:1-6/Ps 126:1-9/Lk 8:16-18
September 24, 2013 (Tues) Ezr 6:7-8,12,14-20/Ps 122:1-5/Lk 8:19-21
September 25, 2013 (Wed) Ezr 9:5-9/Tb 13:3-4,7-8/Lk 9:1-6
September 26, 2013 (Thur) Hg 1:1-8/Ps 149:1-6,9/Lk 9:7-9
September 27, 2013 (Fri) Hg 2:1-9/Ps 43:1-4/Lk 9:18-22
September 28, 2013 (Sat) Zec 2:5-9,14-15/ Jer 31:10-13/Lk 9:43-45
“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ. Read your Bible daily!”
