20181110
PARTNERSHIP IN THE
GOSPEL
10 NOVEMBER,
2018, Saturday, 31st Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
White.
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First reading
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Philippians 4:10-19 ©
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With the help of the One who gives me
strength, there is nothing I cannot master
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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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Use money, tainted as it is, to win you
friends
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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.’
PARTNERSHIP IN THE GOSPEL
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ PHILIPPIANS 4:10-19; LUKE 16:9-15 ]
In the gospel, the Lord
declares, “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.” Is this choice really
necessary? Can we not be rich and yet serve God? What about those
who are blessed with riches? Are they not saved? Riches themselves
are not the obstacles to finding life but it is the way we make use of
them. St Paul, writing to Timothy advised him saying, “As for those who
in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their
hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us
with everything for our enjoyment. They are to do good, to be rich in good
works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the
treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the
life that really is life.” (1 Tim 6:17-19)
This, precisely, is the
point in today’s gospel reading. What the Lord is condemning is not those
who are rich but those who become slaves of money. This was the case of the scribes
and Pharisees. “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.'”
Indeed, when money becomes our master, we will lose our priority and our focus
in life. St Paul warns us, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds
of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the
faith and pierced themselves with many pains.” (1 Tim 6:10)
Rather, we are called to
be like the dishonest steward who knew how to make use of money for the greater
good in the future.
Even his master commended him for his resourcefulness. “And his master
commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children
of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the
children of light.” (Lk 16:8) Jesus
reiterated the principle of how money should be used. “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 is fails you, they will welcome you into the tents
of eternity.” Money is for the use of developing relationships and making
people feel loved and looked after. Money must be used for others and not
only for ourselves. When money is used to give life to others, then money
becomes a servant at our disposal rather than our master.
Most of all, money
should be for the spread of the gospel. Those of us who have resources must use them
for the proclamation of the gospel. This was what the Christians in
Philippi did. They helped St Paul with his finance so that he could
continue to proclaim the gospel. They came to the help of St Paul when he
needed their help. St Paul was ever grateful to them for their
generosity. “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.” Then again, the Philippians never failed
to remember St Paul in his needs. “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.” How many of us are as generous as
the Philippians in extending their resources to help other Christian
communities who are building up the faith of their people? Without their
funding, it would have been more difficult for St Paul to give himself fully to
the work of preaching and teaching the gospel.
So the money the Lord
has blessed us with must be employed for partnership in the proclamation of the
gospel. This also means that the money should be used also for the
service of the poor.
This is what the psalmist reminds us. “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. 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.” Giving to the poor is also one way of helping
to proclaim the gospel indirectly. When we love our money more than the
poor, we are poorer in love. Instead of being possessed by love, we allow
money to possess us.
When we use our wealth
and money for the spread of the gospel, we are truly responsible stewards of
God’s grace. We are called to
be responsible for what has been entrusted to us by the Lord. By using
them well, it shows our character, values and generosity of heart.
It shows whether we are serving God or mammon. This is what the Lord
said, “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?” There are more important things in life
than money.
True riches is about
serving God and our fellowmen. The
genuine riches that the Lord wants to give us are peace, love, joy, generosity
and goodness. (cf Gal 5:22) These
are the fruits of the Spirit for using money properly. Indeed, there is a
saying among the Jews, “The rich help the poor in this world, but the poor help
the rich in the world to come.” So if God gives us riches it is for
us to help the poor and so gain a place in the heart of God in heaven.
And if we are poor, God is using us to help the rich to expand their capacity
to give more. Money, in the final analysis, is just a means to an end.
What is the end if not that money is used in such a way that we grow in the
capacity to love and give, the joy of sharing with others who are in need, and
the grace to manifest the presence of God to them?
Indeed, when people are
generous to us, what we must thank God for is not so much that we are the
recipients but that they have the generosity to share and to give. Only one who shares in the heart
and life of God can give as much as the Lord has given to us. This is
what St Paul said to the Philippians. He said, “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.” By alleviating the
hardship of Paul, the Philippians showed themselves to have the capacity to
love like God Himself. So when people are generous to us, we should not
be grateful that we are the recipients but we should be more grateful that God
has blessed them with the virtue of sharing, for by so doing they share in
God’s life and love, which is greater than any earthly blessings. This is what
St Paul said to them, “In return my God will fulfil all your needs, in Christ
Jesus, as lavishly as only God can.” Only God can fulfil our
desires in the final analysis.
So let us not pursue
money, that “tainted” thing, not because it is intrinsically evil, but because
it leads us to sin, selfishness and worldliness. How often, because of the love of money,
people will steal, kill or destroy their health? How often, beautiful
relationships are broken because of greed, dishonesty and cheating. When
we love money more than people, we begin to make use of people for ourselves
instead of genuinely loving them. So with St Paul, our attitude towards
money must be one of contentment. “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.” We must learn detachment with regards
to material things. When we have them, we should make good use of
them. When we do not have, we should not crave for such things. Our
sufficiency must be found in Christ alone. In Him, we have all.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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