20141108 MONEY THAT TAINTED THING - GOOD OR BAD?
First
reading
Philippians
4:10-19 ©
It is a
great joy to me, in the Lord, that at last you have shown some concern for me
again; though of course you were concerned before, and only lacked an
opportunity. I am not talking about shortage of money: I have learnt to manage
on whatever I have, I know how to be poor and I know how to be rich too. I have
been through my initiation and now I am ready for anything anywhere: full
stomach or empty stomach, poverty or plenty. There is nothing I cannot master
with the help of the One who gives me strength. All the same, it was good of
you to share with me in my hardships. In the early days of the Good News, as
you people of Philippi well know, when I left Macedonia, no other church helped
me with gifts of money. You were the only ones; and twice since my stay in
Thessalonika you have sent me what I needed. It is not your gift that I value;
what is valuable to me is the interest that is mounting up in your account. Now
for the time being I have everything that I need and more: I am fully provided
now that I have received from Epaphroditus the offering that you sent, a sweet
fragrance – the sacrifice that God accepts and finds pleasing. In return my God
will fulfil all your needs, in Christ Jesus, as lavishly as only God can.
Psalm
Psalm
111:1-2,5-6,8,9 ©
Happy
the man who fears the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
Happy
the man who fears the Lord,
who takes delight in all his commands.
His
sons will be powerful on earth;
the children of the upright are blessed.
Happy
the man who fears the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
The
good man takes pity and lends,
he conducts his affairs with honour.
The
just man will never waver:
he will be remembered for ever.
Happy
the man who fears the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
With a
steadfast heart he will not fear.
Open-handed,
he gives to the poor;
his justice stands firm for ever.
His head will be raised in glory.
Happy
the man who fears the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel
Acclamation cf.Ac16:14
Alleluia,
alleluia!
Open
our heart, O Lord,
to
accept the words of your Son.
Alleluia!
Or 2Co8:9
Alleluia,
alleluia!
Jesus
Christ was rich,
but he
became poor for your sake,
to make
you rich out of his poverty.
Alleluia!
Gospel Luke 16:9-15 ©
Jesus
said to his disciples, ‘I tell you this: use money, tainted as it is, to win
you friends, and thus make sure that when it fails you, they will welcome you
into the tents of eternity. The man who can be trusted in little things can be
trusted in great; the man who is dishonest in little things will be dishonest
in great. If then you cannot be trusted with money, that tainted thing, who
will trust you with genuine riches? And if you cannot be trusted with what is
not yours, who will give you what is your very own?
‘No servant can be the slave of two masters:
he will either hate the first and love the second, or treat the first with
respect and the second with scorn. You cannot be the slave both of God and of
money.’
The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all
this and laughed at him. He said to them, ‘You are the very ones who pass
yourselves off as virtuous in people’s sight, but God knows your hearts. For
what is thought highly of by men is loathsome in the sight of God.’
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: PHIL 4:10-19; LK 16:9-15
Almost all people like
to have more money.
Even the richest so called philanthropists and entrepreneurs in the world, who
have more than enough money to live for a few life-times, are still making more
and more money. Rich or poor, we all need money, and want money.
Charitable and religious organizations need money. The Church needs money too,
for the work of evangelization. Even the Pharisees could not deny that
they loved money. Jesus castigated them for desiring money but acted
pretentiously, as the evangelist noted, “The Pharisees, who loved money, heard
all this and laughed at him. He said to them, ‘You are the very ones who
pass yourselves as virtuous in people’s sight, but God knows your hearts.
For what is thought highly of by men is loathsome in the sight of God.’”
Is it then wrong to
desire to have money?
Before we answer this question, it is more important to ask why we want to
have more money. People desire money first and foremost for security,
especially to provide for their basic necessities like food, accommodation and
health. Beyond basic needs, money is needed for personal enrichment and
growth, like education and aesthetic needs. We also desire money because it can
provide us a luxurious life, comfort and pleasure. Some use money to gain
power and influence and control over the poor and those who fawn on them.
But beyond pleasure and power, money can be used for the service of our
fellowmen, especially for the poor and the marginalized. Most of all,
money can be used to glorify God through the construction of Churches and the
work of evangelization.
So money in itself is
not evil, tainted as it were. We can use it for good, as Jesus taught
us, “I tell you this: use money, tainted as it is, to win you friends, and thus
make sure that when it fails you, they will welcome you into the tents of
eternity.” So the only reason why we should desire money is in order that
we can use it for the good of humanity and for the glory of God. Only
when money is expended in such a manner, can that money welcome us “into the
tents of eternity.”
Nevertheless, money is not
ours, as Jesus made it clear in today’s gospel. It is entrusted to us for
a purpose. “And if you cannot be trusted with what is not
yours, who will give you what is your very own?” The question is
whether we will be good stewards of God’s gifts or not. This is where we
are called to give an account to God how we employ the money He has entrusted
to us for the glory of His kingdom. Indeed, Jesus warns us, “The man who
can be trusted in little things can be trusted in great; the man who is
dishonest in little things will be dishonest in great. If then you cannot
be trusted with money, that tainted thing, who will trust you with genuine
riches?” If we cannot be good stewards of that tainted thing entrusted to
us by God, how can we be trusted with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the
Eucharist and eternal life?
Today we have the exemplar
of St Paul who gives us the right attitudes towards money. He too,
needed money. He spoke of his hardship and those times when he was short
of money and food.
He teaches us that the
most basic Christian disposition towards money is that of contentment. We
should not hanker after money. Let the Lord give it to us if He
wishes. For this reason, St Paul was indifferent towards riches or
poverty when he said, “I am not talking about shortage of money: I have learnt
to manage on whatever I have, I know how to be poor and I know how to be rich
too. I have been through my initiation and now I am ready for anything
anywhere: full stomach or empty stomach, poverty or plenty.” Instead, we
are called to trust in His divine providence. In spite of his lack of
sufficiency, St Paul could confidently declare his trust in the providence of
God as he said, “There is nothing I cannot master with the help of the One who
gives me strength.”
Secondly, as Jesus said
earlier, money given to us is not meant only for our enjoyment and pleasure,
but it is given in trust for the use of the common good. If the
Lord does not give us money, then obviously He does not require us to use money
to help the needy. But if He blesses us with money, then we are called to
share it with others, especially for the love of humanity and for the glory of
God. Jesus cautions those who want to seek a compromise between serving
God and money when he said, “No servant can be the slave of two masters: he
will either hate the first and love the second, or treat the first with respect
and the second with scorn. You cannot be the slave both of God and of
money.” Whatever monies we have are not our own but held in trust
for God to be distributed to His people. Hankering after them and using
them only for our benefit and pleasure is as good as stealing from the poor.
Thirdly, St Paul teaches
us gratitude for what we receive just as he was grateful with whatever he
received from God through the kindness of his fellow Christians. He
was not indifferent or ungrateful for their generous support. He wrote to
the Philippians, “It is a great joy to me, in the Lord, that at last you have
shown some concern for me again; though of course you were concerned before,
and only lacked an opportunity.” He repeated his gratitude again when he
wrote “All the same, it was good of you to share with me in my hardships.
In the early days of the Good News … when I left Macedonia, no other church
helped me with gifts of money. You were the only ones; and twice since my
stay in Thessalonika you have sent me what I needed.” Gratitude for
whatever we have been given is an important attitude. Although we must
not crave for money, we must be grateful for what we receive.
Finally, the true joy of St
Paul was not so much focused on the satisfaction of his needs but the joy of
knowing that those who gave had grown in Christian charity. St Paul,
even when receiving gifts from others, was not rejoicing because of what he had
received from them, but more importantly what they received from God in return
for giving away their money and sharing their resources. In contributing
to the financial needs of St Paul and the poor Christian communities, God gave
them something greater, a share of His love and joy of self-emptying.
Isn’t this the real riches that the Lord wants to give us, namely, his joy and
love that comes from self-emptying? These are the true riches that money
cannot buy, if they are given from a selfless heart. Hence, St Paul
remarked, “It is not your gift that I value; what is valuable to me is the
interest that is mounting up in your account.”
So the real question is
not whether it is right to desire money but how we make use of money. If we truly believe that God has
entrusted this tainted thing to us in order that we can lead others and
ourselves to the greater riches of life, which is the life of God, then it is
immaterial whether we have more, or less. We would then just leave everything
to the Lord and be contented with what is given and entrusted to us. And
if the Lord chooses to entrust money to us, let us exercise good stewardship
for the greater glory of God and the service of our fellowmen.
Let our prayer be that
of the psalmist who
says, “Blessed the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his
commands. Well for the man who is gracious and lends, who conducts his affairs
with justice; He shall never be moved; the just one shall be in everlasting
remembrance. His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear. Lavishly he gives
to the poor; his generosity shall endure forever; his horn shall be exalted in
glory.” Truly, for those who give generously, God will bless them a
hundredfold, since the generosity of God cannot be outdone. To be sure,
as St Paul wrote, “I am fully provided now that I have received from
Epaphroditus the offering that you sent, a sweet fragrance – the sacrifice that
God accepts and finds pleasing. In return my God will fulfill all your
needs, in Christ Jesus, as lavishly as only God can.” What are these
needs if not peace, joy, love and eternal life, besides the earthly blessings
as well.
WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV
WILLIAM GOH
ARCHBISHOP
OF SINGAPORE
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
- See more at: http://www.csctr.net/reflections/#sthash.xETl0Zlp.dpuf
MONEY
THAT TAINTED THING – GOOD OR BAD?
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: PHIL 4:10-19; LK 16:9-15
Almost all people like to
have more money.
Even the richest so called philanthropists and entrepreneurs in the world, who
have more than enough money to live for a few life-times, are still making more
and more money. Rich or poor, we all need money, and want money.
Charitable and religious organizations need money. The Church needs money too,
for the work of evangelization. Even the Pharisees could not deny that
they loved money. Jesus castigated them for desiring money but acted
pretentiously, as the evangelist noted, “The Pharisees, who loved money, heard
all this and laughed at him. He said to them, ‘You are the very ones who
pass yourselves as virtuous in people’s sight, but God knows your hearts.
For what is thought highly of by men is loathsome in the sight of God.’”
Is it then wrong to
desire to have money?
Before we answer this question, it is more important to ask why we want to
have more money. People desire money first and foremost for security,
especially to provide for their basic necessities like food, accommodation and
health. Beyond basic needs, money is needed for personal enrichment and
growth, like education and aesthetic needs. We also desire money because it can
provide us a luxurious life, comfort and pleasure. Some use money to gain
power and influence and control over the poor and those who fawn on them.
But beyond pleasure and power, money can be used for the service of our
fellowmen, especially for the poor and the marginalized. Most of all,
money can be used to glorify God through the construction of Churches and the
work of evangelization.
So money in itself is
not evil, tainted as it were. We can use it for good, as Jesus taught
us, “I tell you this: use money, tainted as it is, to win you friends, and thus
make sure that when it fails you, they will welcome you into the tents of
eternity.” So the only reason why we should desire money is in order that
we can use it for the good of humanity and for the glory of God. Only
when money is expended in such a manner, can that money welcome us “into the
tents of eternity.”
Nevertheless, money is not
ours, as Jesus made it clear in today’s gospel. It is entrusted to us for
a purpose. “And if you cannot be trusted with what is not
yours, who will give you what is your very own?” The question is
whether we will be good stewards of God’s gifts or not. This is where we
are called to give an account to God how we employ the money He has entrusted
to us for the glory of His kingdom. Indeed, Jesus warns us, “The man who
can be trusted in little things can be trusted in great; the man who is
dishonest in little things will be dishonest in great. If then you cannot
be trusted with money, that tainted thing, who will trust you with genuine
riches?” If we cannot be good stewards of that tainted thing entrusted to
us by God, how can we be trusted with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the
Eucharist and eternal life?
Today we have the exemplar
of St Paul who gives us the right attitudes towards money. He too,
needed money. He spoke of his hardship and those times when he was short
of money and food.
He teaches us that the
most basic Christian disposition towards money is that of contentment. We
should not hanker after money. Let the Lord give it to us if He
wishes. For this reason, St Paul was indifferent towards riches or
poverty when he said, “I am not talking about shortage of money: I have learnt
to manage on whatever I have, I know how to be poor and I know how to be rich
too. I have been through my initiation and now I am ready for anything anywhere:
full stomach or empty stomach, poverty or plenty.” Instead, we are called
to trust in His divine providence. In spite of his lack of sufficiency,
St Paul could confidently declare his trust in the providence of God as he
said, “There is nothing I cannot master with the help of the One who gives me
strength.”
Secondly, as Jesus said
earlier, money given to us is not meant only for our enjoyment and pleasure,
but it is given in trust for the use of the common good. If the
Lord does not give us money, then obviously He does not require us to use money
to help the needy. But if He blesses us with money, then we are called to
share it with others, especially for the love of humanity and for the glory of
God. Jesus cautions those who want to seek a compromise between serving
God and money when he said, “No servant can be the slave of two masters: he
will either hate the first and love the second, or treat the first with respect
and the second with scorn. You cannot be the slave both of God and of money.”
Whatever monies we have are not our own but held in trust for God to be
distributed to His people. Hankering after them and using them only for
our benefit and pleasure is as good as stealing from the poor.
Thirdly, St Paul teaches
us gratitude for what we receive just as he was grateful with whatever he
received from God through the kindness of his fellow Christians. He
was not indifferent or ungrateful for their generous support. He wrote to
the Philippians, “It is a great joy to me, in the Lord, that at last you have
shown some concern for me again; though of course you were concerned before,
and only lacked an opportunity.” He repeated his gratitude again when he
wrote “All the same, it was good of you to share with me in my hardships.
In the early days of the Good News … when I left Macedonia, no other
church helped me with gifts of money. You were the only ones; and twice
since my stay in Thessalonika you have sent me what I needed.” Gratitude
for whatever we have been given is an important attitude. Although we
must not crave for money, we must be grateful for what we receive.
Finally, the true joy of St
Paul was not so much focused on the satisfaction of his needs but the joy of
knowing that those who gave had grown in Christian charity. St Paul,
even when receiving gifts from others, was not rejoicing because of what he had
received from them, but more importantly what they received from God in return
for giving away their money and sharing their resources. In contributing to
the financial needs of St Paul and the poor Christian communities, God gave
them something greater, a share of His love and joy of self-emptying.
Isn’t this the real riches that the Lord wants to give us, namely, his joy and
love that comes from self-emptying? These are the true riches that money
cannot buy, if they are given from a selfless heart. Hence, St Paul
remarked, “It is not your gift that I value; what is valuable to me is the
interest that is mounting up in your account.”
So the real question is not
whether it is right to desire money but how we make use of money. If we truly believe that God has
entrusted this tainted thing to us in order that we can lead others and
ourselves to the greater riches of life, which is the life of God, then it is
immaterial whether we have more, or less. We would then just leave
everything to the Lord and be contented with what is given and entrusted to
us. And if the Lord chooses to entrust money to us, let us exercise good
stewardship for the greater glory of God and the service of our fellowmen.
Let our prayer be that
of the psalmist who
says, “Blessed the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his
commands. Well for the man who is gracious and lends, who conducts his affairs
with justice; He shall never be moved; the just one shall be in everlasting
remembrance. His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear. Lavishly he gives
to the poor; his generosity shall endure forever; his horn shall be exalted in
glory.” Truly, for those who give generously, God will bless them a
hundredfold, since the generosity of God cannot be outdone. To be sure,
as St Paul wrote, “I am fully provided now that I have received from
Epaphroditus the offering that you sent, a sweet fragrance – the sacrifice that
God accepts and finds pleasing. In return my God will fulfill all your
needs, in Christ Jesus, as lavishly as only God can.” What are these
needs if not peace, joy, love and eternal life, besides the earthly blessings
as well.
WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV
WILLIAM GOH
ARCHBISHOP
OF SINGAPORE
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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