Introduction: May you continue to seek to work for the spread of GOD’s Reign to others.
Although the axiom of “the end does not justify the means” is true, a worthy end can lead us to use proper means to bring about that which is Good and according to GOD’s plan. The people who violate the axiom of “the end does not justify the means,” are often the ones whose end is also not wholesome but selfish, and thus they will do almost anything to get to their wrong end. Those whose pursuits are aimed at the Good of all people, are willing to go to extremes in which they give more of themselves in order that others may experience the benevolence and love of GOD.
So what is your end? And what are you willing to do in order to achieve that end? If your destination is to be with GOD forever, as well as assisting as many other people as you can to achieve the same end, then you will put yourself out – in order to do whatever, it takes to rightfully achieve the purpose – GOD’s purpose.
Being intent on achieving an end can lead one to expend time and energy on furthering the means to reach that end. In the First Reading, Amos chastises the dishonest merchants who seek the end of the periods of holy times when no business can be conducted and who weigh the scales to their benefit when dealing with buyers. The psalm praises the LORD GOD Who will ultimately lift the poor and downtrodden. In the Second Reading, St. Paul exhorts Timothy to have the faithful in the community at Ephesus pray not only for their spiritual leaders, but also for all who exercise authority over them and to have them work for the same purpose and with the same intensity as GOD does – for the salvation of all people. In the Gospel, Luke presents Jesus telling the parable of the dishonest steward and concluding the parable with three lessons dealing with usage of what we have, fidelity of those in roles of responsibility, and the incompatibility of serving GOD and any other purposes.
First Reading; Amos 8:4-7: Against those who ‘buy the poor for silver.’
Commentary: Amos is one of the first of the prophets whose sayings were gathered together and written down. He was peacefully pasturing sheep in the southern hill-country near Bethlehem, when the LORD summoned him to trudge northwards and denounce the racketeering of rich against poor in Samaria. Archaeologists have shown us the traces of it. The capital was moved westwards to link with Mediterranean trade: marriage-alliances with merchant princes, grand palaces displacing slum dwellings, expensive (and idolatrous) ivory inlays on the furniture. The fat-cats would not listen to Amos, told him he was not welcome in their country, sent him packing and continued to fleece the helpless poor, for they controlled the money supply and the means of exchange – till the mighty power of Assyria swept down and destroyed them all. For us today perhaps the equivalent is rich nations profiteering from poor, unequal business deals, unfair trade, ‘international aid’ packages to dispose of excess production, the rich growing richer, the poor growing poorer in a thousand ways.
Responsorial Psalm 113:1-2. 4-6. 7-8: Praise the LORD,
who raises the poor.
The psalm builds on the final thought of today’s readings. GOD is to be praised because GOD sees the plight of the Anawim – the “bend over ones” – the lowly and disenfranchised – and GOD will lift them up and give them places of honor and respect, the very qualities that the dishonest have tried to take from them.
Second Reading 1 Timothy 2:1-8: ‘Prayers should be made for all people to God, who desires all people to be saved.’
Commentary: As the gospel message moved out of the restricted world of Judaism, and came into contact with the larger world of the Greco-Roman Empire, new questions arose for Christians. The first question here was relationship to the civil authorities, and the answer: accept them and pray for them, in their attempts to provide a worthy framework for human life. The second question, a pressing one in our post-Christian society, can non-Christians be saved? Here the scripture tells us that God wills all people to be saved and come to knowledge of the truth, and that there is one mediator, Christ Jesus. How is this so? Is it enough to grope towards a God ‘in signs and symbols’ (Vatican II), accepting a power outside ourselves, to which all are indebted for existence itself, the ultimate authority in human life? And the Mediator? How can people be saved by Christ if they do not know him? Is it enough to acknowledge our human deficiencies and failures and lay them in hope at the feet of a loving Saviour whom this unknown God will surely provide to bring the creation to fulfilment? What a responsibility have we, in expressing our values in such a way that others may share them?
Gospel Luke 16:1-13: ‘You cannot serve God and money.’
Commentary: This parable can be deeply disquieting if we take it as an allegory, that is, if every element in the story is meant (as in Matthew’s Parable of the Wheat and the Tares) to have an equivalent in reality. We can’t have God praising the steward for his frauds! No, the point of the story is simply the steward’s energy and inventiveness, his shrewdness as a ‘child of this age’. A lot more thought goes into how to make money than into how to spend it to the best advantage of others! The danger and encumbrance of wealth is such that inventiveness and energy is needed in using it to win friends in heaven. The full cleverness of the story is more subtle: Jews were forbidden to lend to Jews at interest. The steward cuts off the interest from the bills of his master’s debtors, for oil was commonly lent at 100% interest, and wheat at 25%. It was easy to return olive oil adulterated with cheap sesame oil, but if I scatter handfuls of chaff in the grain, I give you back, you will spot it immediately. So the steward makes his master obey the Law! The sayings added at the end hit the nail on the head: no slave can serve two masters, God and money.
Reflection: What does wealth and riches have to do with the kingdom of God? Jesus seemed to praise a steward (a manager entrusted with his master's goods) who misused his wealthy employer's money. What did the steward do that made Jesus praise him? The steward was responsible for managing his wealthy landowner's property. The steward very likely overcharged his master's tenants for their use of the land and kept more than his fair share of the profit. When the landowner discovered the steward's dishonest practice he immediately removed him from his job, leaving him penniless and ashamed to beg or do manual work.
The necessity of prudent foresight to avert disaster: Before news of his dismissal became public knowledge, the shrewd steward struck a deal with his master's debtors. In discounting their debts he probably was giving up his generous commission. Such a deal won him great favor with the debtors. Since the steward acted as the landowner's agent, such a deal made his master look very generous and forgiving towards those who owned him money. Surely everyone would praise such a generous landowner as the town hero! Since the master could not undo the steward's cancellation of the debts without losing face and making his debtors resent him, he praised the steward for outwitting him and making him appear as a generous and merciful landowner.
Generous giving is rewarded with treasure that lasts forever: What's the point of Jesus' parable? Jesus did not praise the steward for his dishonest behavior but for his shrewd foresight in relieving the debts of others who he believed would, in turn, treat him as a friend and show him mercy, kindness, and generosity in his time of need and great want. Jesus immediately followed this parable with an exhortation to his followers to make use of the world's material goods, including "tainted money" (which in Hebrew means "unrighteous mammon"), to relieve those who are indebted to us for the material and physical help we give them in their time of need and want. In the Scriptures generous giving is connected with alms giving - the sharing of our financial and material resources with those in need (Luke 12:33). Those who receive alms become your friends because you are merciful to them in their time of need. And God who sees all, rewards those who are generous in helping others.
Generous giving will be repaid in kind. Augustine of Hippo reminds us that we are all beggars of God.
"Even though you possess plenty, you are still poor. You abound in temporal possessions, but you need things eternal. You listen to the needs of a human beggar, you yourself are a beggar of God. What you do with those who beg from you is what God will do with his beggar. You are filled and you are empty. Fill your neighbor from your fullness, so that your emptiness may be filled from God's fullness" (Sermon 56, 9).
Paul the Apostle reminds us, "We brought nothing into this world and we cannot take anything out of this world" (1 Timothy 6:7). The Lord Jesus wants us to make good use of all the resources that he gives us and that come into our possession. Our life is short - but how we invest in this present life will determine our future in the age to come when the Lord Jesus will raise our mortal bodies to immortality and give to each what he or she has sown in this present life.
The rabbis had a saying, "The rich help the poor in this world, but the poor help the rich in the world to come." Ambrose, a 4th century bishop commenting on the parable of the rich fool who tore down his barns to build bigger ones to store his goods. said: The bosoms of the poor, the houses of widows, the mouths of children are the barns which last forever. The true treasure which lasts is the treasure stored up for us in heaven. God richly rewards those who give generously from the heart to help those in need.
True generosity does not impoverish - but enriches the giver: What is the enemy of generosity? It's greed, the excessive desire for personal gain and security. However, we do not need to be afraid for true generosity does not impoverish the giver but enriches that person a hundredfold! Generosity expands the soul - but greed contracts it. God is generous and superabundant in lavishing his gifts upon us. We can never outmatch God in generosity. He has given us the best of gifts in sending us his only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who offered up his life for us on the cross. The Father also offers us the gift of the Holy Spirit who fills us with the fruit of peace, joy, patience, kindness, love, and self-control (Galatians 5:22) - and many other blessings as well. Everything we have is an outright gift of God. Do you know the joy and freedom of blessing others with the gifts and resources God has given to you?
What controls or rules your life? Jesus concludes his parable with a lesson on what controls or rules our lives. Who is the master (or ruler) in charge of your life? Our "master" is that which governs our thought-life, shapes our ideals, and controls the desires of the heart and the values we choose to live by. We can be ruled by many different things - the love of money or possessions, the power of position, the glamor of wealth and prestige, the driving force of unruly passions and addictions. Ultimately the choice boils down to two: God and "mammon". What is mammon? "Mammon" stands for "material wealth or possessions" or whatever tends to "control our appetites and desires."
When a number of the religious leaders heard Jesus' parable they reacted with scorn (Luke 16:14). Jesus spoke to the condition of their hearts - they were lovers of money (Luke 16:14). Love of money and wealth crowd out love of God and love of neighbor. Jesus makes clear that our heart must either be possessed by God's love or our heart will be possessed by the love of something else.
The Lord alone can satisfy our desires and give us generous hearts: There is one Master alone who has the power to set us free from greed and possessiveness. That Master is the Lord Jesus Christ who died to set us free and who rose to give us new abundant life. The Lord Jesus invites us to make him the Master and Lord of our lives. He alone can satisfy the desires of our heart and transform us in his love through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Our money, time, and possessions are precious resources and gifts from God. We can guard them jealously for ourselves alone or allow the love of the Lord to guide us in making good use of them for the benefit of others - especially those in need - and for the work of the Lord in advancing his kingdom. Ask the Lord to fill your heart with a spirit of generosity and joy in sharing what you have with others.
Lord Jesus, all that I have is a gift from you. May I love you freely and generously with all that I possess. Help me to be a wise and faithful steward of the resources you put at my disposal, including the use of my time, money, and possessions.
Grace and peace: “Prayer
of this kind is good, and God our Savior is pleased with it, for He wants all
men to be saved.” —1 Timothy 2:3-4
Jesus died on the cross so that all would be saved from sin, death, and damnation. We are saved by His grace, which we must decide to accept by faith (Eph 2:8) and live in love with all our hearts (see Lk 10:27). The decisions to accept God’s saving graces are the most important decisions of our lives.
These decisions are extremely difficult to make, for we are strongly pressured by the world, the flesh, and the devil to choose pride, pleasure, and selfishness rather than God’s grace and love (see Eph 2:2-3). However, the Lord calls us to “lead undisturbed and tranquil lives in perfect piety and dignity” (1 Tm 2:2). In this context, we are much more likely to repeatedly choose grace and thereby salvation.
Consequently, we must make it a priority to pray for everyone, particularly for godly leaders who will set up a society of peace, tranquility, and respect for human rights (see 1 Tm 2:1ff). We must then submit ourselves to the godly authority of pastors, government leaders, husbands, parents, employers, etc.
Our culture of death sets us up to reject grace after grace by making bad decision after bad decision. However, a civilization of love in which we live “undisturbed and tranquil” lives brings out the best in us as we decide again and again to live in grace. Grace and peace to you (Phil 1:2).
Prayer: Father, show me the relationship between lifestyle and grace. “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other or be attentive to the one and despise the other. You cannot give yourself to God and money.” —Lk 16:13. Praise You, Jesus, “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Rv 19:16). Alleluia!
The personal action for today: What or Who is the master Whom I am willing to expend all my thoughts, efforts, and actions in serving? How often do I pray for all people, especially those in authority (whether that be spiritual or secular)? How do I reach out to the lowly? What can I do today, this week, to proclaim the Good News to someone who needs to hear the Gospel?
*Saint Matthew’: Saint Matthew was a Jew who worked for the occupying Roman forces, collecting taxes from other Jews. The Romans were not scrupulous about what the “tax farmers” got for themselves. Hence the latter, known as “publicans,” were generally hated as traitors by their fellow Jews. The Pharisees lumped them with “sinners” (see Matthew 9:11-13). So it was shocking to them to hear Jesus call such a man to be one of his intimate followers.
Matthew got Jesus in further trouble by having a sort of going-away party at his house. The Gospel tells us that many tax collectors and “those known as sinners” came to the dinner. The Pharisees were still more badly shocked. What business did the supposedly great teacher have associating with such immoral people? Jesus’ answer was, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ I did not come to call the righteous but sinners” (Matthew 9:12b-13).
Jesus is not setting aside ritual and worship; he is saying that loving others is even more important. No other particular incidents about Saint Matthew are found in the New Testament.
From such an unlikely situation, Jesus chose one of the
foundations of the Church, a man others, judging from his job, thought was not
holy enough for the position. But Matthew was honest enough to admit that he
was one of the sinners Jesus came to call. He was open enough to recognize
truth when he saw him. “And he got up and followed him” (Matthew 9:9b).
