25th Sunday C (19 September 2010)
Fr. James McTavish, FMVD

Love God, use riches
I am teaching a course called “Morality and Spirituality” in a Jesuit theology school here in Manila. We are tackling contemporary ethical issues such as HIV/AIDS, Population and IVF. One day we were talking about social justice and how often our attitude towards money, whether we are honest or not, can be influenced by the good example, or not, of our parents. He told the class that his father was famed in the poor fish market where he worked for being an honest man. The people knew he was honest and that he had honest scales! When there was a dispute about weights and measures they would always come to his father and weigh on his scales any produce bought, to see if actually it weighed what the seller was saying. In the first reading today, the prophet Amos criticizes those who fix their scales to cheat people. They observe fastidiously the religious feasts – the new moon and the Sabbath – but after they go and cheat the people. The prophet announces “The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob: Never will I forget a thing they have done!” One lady told me that in her work for the government, she, like others, was being dishonest. In front of her colleagues it was fine but in front of her conscience she felt guilty.

The image of the scales makes me reflect. At first I was thinking that it is not relevant to me as I do not sell fish in a market and I do not have scales. But we are always weighing up people and situations, in every day and every moment. When you meet new people today you will be weighing them up – what they look like, who they are, their title. How are our weighing scales? Do we give others a generous measure? Are we fair and just? Are our scales fixed and immoveable? In front of the Lord, do we weigh up so carefully our response to him, even not giving him what is his due, or are we generous?

One day in a café in Pampanga I was weighing up what to eat. There were various options on the menu – in the end we ate some frogs and dried locusts. On the wall of the restaurant there was an interesting phrase. It said: ‘It is good to have money and the things that money can buy but it’s good, too, to check up once in while and make sure you haven’t lost the things money can’t buy’. There is a saying that goes love God, use money. Not the other way around. This is one focus of the gospel today – the sensible use of material goods. We have a steward who is in trouble from his master for squandering his property. The master asks him to prepare a full account of his stewardship. The man starts to think what to do. He goes to the debtors and asks them to pay his master. One owes 100 measures of olive oil but the shrewd servant tells him to pay only 50. Another owed 100 kors of wheat but is told to pay only 80. What is going on here?

One interpretation is that the steward is foregoing his commission so at least his master will be paid back. Other commentators say that there was no commission system in those days and so the servant was merely asking the debtors to pay the exact amount and not the interest added by the master. Whatever be our interpretation, it is interesting the interpretation of the master. He commends the steward for acting prudently! Jesus then makes the following observation “"For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.” Many times in matters related to business and finance, people are much more zealous than the disciples of Christ! With more initiative, more daring and creativity than those who follow Jesus.

Two applications can be gleaned from this parable, one material and the other spiritual. For the material aspect, the sensible use of money is a serious concern for all Christians. In the document Gaudium et spes it says ‘the majority of the citizens of some nations bear the name of Christian and enjoy an abundance of the goods of this world, while others lack even the necessities of life and suffer hunger, disease, and every kind of misery. If the spirit of poverty and charity is a distinguishing feature of the Church of Christ, this is a scandal that must not continue’. I include myself in this exhortation. How can I live out my vow of poverty? How can I as a priest also reach out to the poor? How can we as Christians love Christ in the poor? It is a challenge to all of us. Each one of us is invited to see how we can use our wealth for the Kingdom. Perhaps we can try to excuse ourselves saying that I am not wealthy but no one is so poor that they have nothing to give. As religious we have a vow of poverty but it does not mean that we wash our hands of the situation around us. Many of our brothers and sisters here in the Philippines are very poor and money is a real concern. It cannot be that we are here in religious life, with no concern about money at all. One criticism of some religious is that they are bourgeois. One priest here told me that his order has a vow of poverty but the people actually live it. How can we guard against this complacency? One way for sure is by looking for help, benefactors, sponsors - not just to be spoon fed – “the community will provide!” If we have more we can share more. For sure if we are generous in our dedication of preaching the gospel, people will support our mission.

A second application is in the use of our gifts and talents in the service of the Lord. Do we use them prudently? Time is a great gift but often it is squandered. If we are Christians the joy of Christ’s presence and the desire to respond to him fully is a great antidote to laziness! There are so many wonderful ways to serve him! Are you excited, animated in your Christian life? If not, complain! To the Lord of course and ask him how you can be ore faithful in the small details. One fruit of fidelity is joy. Being faithful in small details will help us be faithful in larger ones. One sign of a healthy interior life is to aim high! The lukewarm person does not want to accept God’s graces because it would complicate one’s life.

Jose Maria Escrivá, the founder of Opus Dei, said that the real problem is that there is no real desire to achieve anything worthwhile, that the greatest ambition of many Christians is to avoid being disturbed. They wallow in mediocrity – they have a soul that is lazy, full of subtle forms of selfishness, content to let the days, the years go by without setting themselves demanding targets, nor experiencing the hopes and fears of battle.

We have to ask every so often, what is it that stops me serving the Lord more? In answering that question we can often find our richness – our excessive work, our laziness, our small dreams for the Kingdom, fear of the opinion of others, unnecessary health concerns – all can become our richness. Jesus tells us “You cannot serve two masters, you will love one and hate the other. You cannot serve both God and other riches”.

Let us ask that serving the Lord can be our true richness, that we will use the richness we have for the Lord and not the other way around. Love God and use riches, not love riches and use God! The Holy Spirit is pouring out the riches of his graces every day. May we not be closed to them! Let us ask Jesus to be brave-hearted in serving him, to aim high! May he teach how to use all our richness, both material and spiritual, for the good of many and for the spread of the Kingdom. Amen.