25th Sunday 2016

Amos 8:4-7
1 Tim 2:1-8
Luke 16:1-13

Amos not only admonished and condemned the greedy, but prophesied national downfall as a consequence of the systematic avarice of those in power and the exploitation of the general populous. In ancient Judaism, “The quality of one’s relationship to God depended to some extent on how one related to fellow members of the covenant community (2).”

Jesus is also quite concerned with social justice, and the allocation and use of wealth to benefit the many. However, He does not preach doom for a nation here on Earth in this generation or that. As always, He cares about each person and his or her desire to reach towards an Eternal Life with Him.

We are only God’s stewards, we don’t actually own what is ascribed as ours. Mammon, an Aramaic word meaning wealth (4), can “seduce disciples away from God. Disciples are to convert mammon into heavenly capital by sharing it with others, particularly the needy (2).” In other words, wealth is not ours to cling to, but to give away responsibly.

“Indeed allegiance to money and allegiance to God are fundamentally conflicting values (3).” If we get confused or forget to use our wealth for the Lord’s people’s gain, and use it for our own advancement, we have excluded the Lord. Loving wealth and loving the Lord are mutually exclusive; but using wealth to benefit the Lord’s people is an act of love for the Lord.

All of us, from time to time, even well-intentioned Children of the Light are blinded by glittery wealth; it can obstruct of vision of the Lord. Many people who are in love with money know it, but see no danger. These folks are of this generation and are best left to deal with other like-minded, money-loving folks. “For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.” As Children of Light, because we are responsible and diligent in our stewardship of mammon, we strive to prove ourselves competent and trustworthy in larger matters. These larger matters involve our stewardship of the “Light of the World,” (John 8:12).

Journal Questions:

What do you spend your money on? How does it benefit others? How does it draw you closer to God, or pull you away?
Reflect on the attitude towards money that a rich person you know personally has and then write about the attitude of someone you know personally who is poor. What have you learned about mammon from each?
What are you called to be a “steward” of? It might be wealth, family, values or insights or other.

References:
1- Interpreter’s One-Volume Commentary on the Bible. Abingdon Press, Nashville, Tennessee, 1971.
2- The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1990
3- New Interpreter’s Bible One Volume Commentary. Abingdon Press, Nashville, Tennessee, 2010.
4- Ignatius Catholic Study Bible. Ignatius Press, San Franciso, California, 2001.
5- The Collegeville Bible Commentary, Luke. The Order of St. Benedict, Inc., Collegeville, Minnesota, 1992.

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