"You cannot give yourself both to God and to Money."  

 

＊＊＊1st Reading＊＊＊

Amos 8:4-7

Hear this, you who trample on the needy, to do away with the weak of the land.

You who say, "When will the new moon or the Sabbath feast be over that we may open the store and sell our grain?

Let us lower the measure and raise the price; let us cheat and tamper with the scales, and even sell the refuse with the whole grain.

We will buy up the poor for money and the needy for a pair of sandals."

The Lord, the pride of Jacob, has sworn by himself, "I shall never forget their deeds."

 

＊＊＊2nd Reading＊＊＊

1 Timothy 2:1-8

First of all, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving be made for everyone,

for rulers of states, and all in authority, that we may enjoy a quiet and peaceful life,

in godliness and respect. This is good and pleases God. For he wants all to be saved,

and come to the knowledge of truth. As there is one God, there is one mediator between God and humankind,

Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave his life for the redemption of all.

This is the testimony, given in its proper time, and of this, God has made me apostle and herald.

I am not lying, I am telling the truth: He made me teacher of the nations regarding faith and truth.

I want the men, in every place, to lift pure hands in prayer to heaven, without anger and dissension.

 

＊＊＊Gospel＊＊＊

Luke 16:1-13

At another time Jesus told his disciples, "There was a rich man,

whose steward was reported to him because of fraudulent service. He summoned the steward and asked him,

'What is this I hear about you? I want you to render an account of your service, for it is about to be terminated.

The steward thought to himself, 'What am I to do now? My master will surely dismiss me.

I am not strong enough to do hard work, and I am ashamed to beg. I know what I will do:

I must make sure that when I am dismissed, there will be people who will welcome me into their homes.

So he called his master's debtors, one by one. He asked the first debtor, 'How much do you owe my master?'

The reply was, 'A hundred jars of oil.' The steward said, 'Here is your bill. Sit down quickly and write fifty.'

To the second debtor he put the same question, 'How much do you owe?' The answer was,

'A hundred measures of wheat.' Then the steward said, 'Take your bill and write eighty!'

The master commended the dishonest steward for his astuteness:

for the people of this world are more astute in dealing with their own kind than are the people of light.

And so I tell you: use filthy money to make friends for yourselves, so that, when it fails,

these people may welcome you into the eternal homes.

Whoever can be trusted in little things can also be trusted in great ones;

whoever is dishonest in slight matters will also be dishonest in greater ones.

So if you have been dishonest in handling filthy money, who would entrust you with true wealth?

And if you have been dishonest with things that are not really yours, who will give you that wealth which is truly your own?

No servant can serve two masters. Either he does not like the one and is fond of the other,

or he regards one highly and the other with contempt. You cannot give yourself both to God and to Money."

 

Lectio Divina

＊＊＊Reflection＊＊＊

"You cannot give yourself both to God and to Money."

Read: Amos challenges injustice in business; Saint Paul urges us to pray for leaders and the well-being of society;

and Jesus calls us to a life of loving generosity.

 

Reflect: Today's readings explore the connection between our actions and our intentions.

Why do we choose to do things that benefit other people? Is our support of the local community merely so we can have a quiet life?

Do we help others just so that they will help us?

The swindling and corruption attacked by Amos is a much more obvious type of injustice than the manipulation presented in the Gospel.

The astute servant is making discounts to buy friends.

There is no concern for the welfare of the debtors, as he is acting purely out of self-interest.

Therefore, in this instance, the wicked servant is astutely using another person's money for personal gain.

Jesus encourages his disciples not to be astute in the crafty sense of the word, but wise,

as he teaches us to use money well and to "make friends" rather than buy them through our own generosity.

Here the concern for the other is genuine, and our love is genuine.

 

Pray: Pray for your local community, for your country and for all who hold positions of authority.

 

Act: Make a donation to help the poor in your community.