20161105 THE VALUE OF MONEY
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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Philippians
4:10-19 ©
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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.
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm 111(112):1-2,5-6,8,9
©
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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!
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Gospel
Acclamation
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cf.Ac16:14
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Open our heart, O
Lord,
to accept the words
of your Son.
Alleluia!
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Or
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2Co8:9
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Jesus Christ was
rich,
but he became poor
for your sake,
to make you rich out
of his poverty.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 16:9-15 ©
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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.’
THE
VALUE OF MONEY
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: [ PHILIPPIANS 4:10-19; LUKE 16:9-15 ]
We all need money.
Who does not need money? Even St Paul needed financial assistance in his
ministry. He was indeed very appreciative and grateful to those who
provided for his needs. “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.” Money has its value and
importance. This cannot be denied.
But it is a different thing
to have a love for money. Money is a means not the end. St Paul
tells us that the love of money is the root of all evils. “But those who
desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and
hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of
money is the root of all evils; it is through this craving that some have
wandered away from the faith and pierced their hearts with many pangs.” (1 Tim 6:9f) So the
real problem is not money but the love of money. This was the case of the
Pharisees who loved money as the evangelist noted.
For this reason, St Paul
taught us to learn contentment. He said, “There is great gain in
godliness with contentment; for we brought nothing into the
world, and we cannot take anything out of the world; but if we
have food and clothing, with these we shall be content.” (1 Tim 6:6-8) He
said, “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.” Even though money is useful and can be good for our use, there
is always the temptation to greed and allow money to possess us. To avoid
falling into the snare of money, we need to practice contentment and
indifference with regard to money. Instead, we are called to place our
trust in divine providence. He said, “There is nothing I cannot master
with the help of the One who gives me strength.”
Only when we remain
detached from money, could we then use our money wisely and objectively.
So long as we are attached to our money, we will look at people and situations
through the lens of money rather than the lens of love and compassion. If
our loved ones are sick or even when our beloved pet is sick, we would do all
we can to heal them even if it costs us much money to bring them to see a
doctor. Through the eyes of love, money then becomes only a means to an
end. We do not hoard money as our security but we use them wisely for the
good of others and ourselves.
Jesus
underscored this truth when He remarked, “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.” Indeed, if we place money above everything else, we
become very calculative in how we spend money on people. But if we put
God and people first before money, we would then employ our resources and
wealth in such a way that they are always at the service of God and our
fellowmen. It is therefore important to examine where our heart is.
The truth, as Jesus said,
is that money is not the most important thing in life. He told the
Pharisees, “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.” Money does not really belong to
us. We cannot bring a single cent to the next life. Money is not
meant to be kept but to be used. Money has power only when used.
Otherwise, money is just paper.
What is more important is
how money is used. It is a question of stewardship. Jesus reminds
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.” All of
us have to answer and give an account of how we use our money and wealth.
We can use them for good or for evil. Unfortunately, quite often money is
used to buy power, glory and status. It is used for one’s selfish
interests. Indeed, if we cannot be trusted with money, then we cannot be
trusted with any real responsibilities in life. Because of money, we
commit adultery and use sex to gain favours and win businesses. Because
of money, we are willing to sell our soul at the expense of our spouse and
family. Truly, many people because of greed cheat and steal, commit fraud
and land themselves in prison whilst their family members suffer shame.
Rather, Jesus made it clear
how money should be used. He advised, “I tell you this: use money,
tainted as it is, to win you friends, and thus make sure that when is fails
you, they will welcome you into the tents of eternity.” Money must be
used for the good of all, especially in the promotion of friendship and
unity. We use our money to help people and to bring love and joy to
them. At times, money is used to bring about fellowship, especially
in meals. Quite often too, many come together to raise funds for a common
cause. This too strengthens the bonds among those who share a common
cause, besides helping those who are their beneficiaries.
Indeed, this was how St
Paul saw the purpose of money. When money is used for the good of others,
the donor is twice blessed for giving away his money. He made it clear
that he was not “talking about shortage of money.” Rather, he reiterated,
“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 fulfill all your
needs, in Christ Jesus, as lavishly as only God can.”
St Paul rejoiced not so
much that he received but that the Christians could give. In showing
their generosity, it means that they have been touched by God and shared in the
life of God. St Paul was happier for them than for himself who received their
gifts. In giving, they received a much greater gift, the gift of God’s
love and joy. What makes us happy is love and relationship. What helps us to
transcend ourselves is when we are in touch with our humanity. Sharing
always brings out our human emotions of compassion, sympathy and joy.
That is why there are so many philanthropists around even though many do not
even have faith in God. They arrive at a point in their life when they
begin to ask what is there more to life than enjoyment, success and fame.
Only when we are identified with our fellowmen, their joys and pains, do we
become truly human and humane.
What, then, is the genuine
riches that God wants to give us? He wants to give us love, friendship
and joy. He said, “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?” In
other words, He wants to give us the fullness of life. Who then is the
happy man? The psalmist says, “Happy the man who fears the Lord. The good
man takes pity and lends, he conducts his affairs with honour. The just man
will never waver: he will be remembered forever. 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.” Indeed, the man who is truly
happy is one who trusts in the Lord, “takes delight in all his commands.
His sons will be powerful on earth; the children of the upright are
blessed.” With St Paul, therefore, let us trust in the Lord, that He will
provide for our needs so long as we are responsible in life and use our
resources for His people and for His glory.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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