SATURDAY NOVEMBER 11, 2023
SATURDAY OF THE THIRTY FIRST WEEK OF THE ORDINARY TIME A
SAINT MARTIN OF TOURS, Bishop (Memorial)
Romans 16:3-9,16, 22-27
Luke 16:9-15
GOOD AND FAITHFUL STEWARDS OF GOD AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH MONEY
The divine brought us into the world to be stewards of his mysteries. The world for all human bring is only a temporal place of abode. It does not last more than couple of years and we are gone. So we do not enter the world to possess it. Rather we come into the world to pass through and make it better. That is why we are mere stewards of the world with its diverse riches and stewards who serve the world and our Good God ultimately. This is the truth of our existence on earth.
We must therefore evaluate our relationship with material possession and the attractions of this life, power, wealth, possession and even pleasure. How do we relate with them all?
Jesus in the gospel of today accuses the Pharisees and their cohorts of trying to possess the world and being dishonest with money and material possession entrusted to them. For Jesus they have abandoned living to pursuing material possession, wealth and money particularly.
The value of these things, material things, money, and all endowment is purposely to serve. And they are for the service of God and humanity. To the extent to which one is endowed is to that extent the value of the service one should renders to our Good God. For there are various other endowments that God has in his providence endowed us with for the service of himself and the world.
For example, a doctor, nurse, tailor, drivers, engineers, market women and men and others are not so endowed with their enterprise for the mere reason of serving themselves. They are so endowed to serve God ultimately and humanity purposely.
Serving oneself results ultimately in debasing the gifts of God and under utilizing these gifts. It means also abuse of the gifts and a relegation of the gift of God to selfish use. It means missing the mark and punishing others for which these gifts are intended for. It is a grave crime to the society. It is inhuman to abuse the gift of God and a grave sin against God our Father. Because it amounts to denying humanity the necessary needs as placed by God and allowing suffering to engulf humanity, in the world. The evil of personalizing money, wealth and material possession jeopardizes the comfort, well-being and good Heath of the human family. As we find it now in our society, our world is sick and so much atrocities are committed because of the unequal distribution of material endowment of our Good God.
Jesus today frowns at the Pharisees, the religious leaders of his time who were supposed to know better on their joining those who are bad and selfish stewards. For this people, they seek money as an end, and commit all kinds of evil to gain wealth. And when they are wealthy, they turn against the people they are meant to serve and turn them into slaves, use them as tools and forget that our possession are temporal and never permanent.
We must be conscious of this fact that material possession are temporal for us humans. They do NOT and can NEVER belong to us. They are only ENTRUSTED TO US for a while and billed purposely for the service of humanity. They are to build up humanity, to enhance other persons, strengthen families, reduce suffering, bring happiness into other people lives, solve the needs of others and enhance life generally to the praise and glory of God.
Our relationship with these material endowment is seen as mere stewards. We dispense at the appropriate time these material gifts for the said purpose. Stewards serve others. Stewards only serve themselves after serving others. Stewards of the mysteries of God must never think of themselves first but other first and themselves last. This is the lesson Jesus himself taught us all in his life and mission on earth. And this is what we are going to be judged with by our Good God.
Saint Paul in the first reading sends greetings to all stewards who work underground, unnoticed, and he extends his appreciation and goodwill to them all. He also encourages them to keep working and never loose focus.
We must therefore recognize our areas of endowment and apply such in the service of God’s people. We must shone selfishness, wickedness, all forms of embezzlement and be worthy stewards. For indeed we may not need all we have and so let us not waste all that God gave us for others. BE FAITHFUL IN STEWARDSHIP as a Christian irrespective of your other callings and dispense the endowment of God judiciously.
God our Father, you have endowed the world with so much human & material abundance for their well-being. But we have been selfish as your stewards in distributing and dispensing your gifts. Forgive us Lord and grant that we may as good stewards use money, wealth and other endowments in serving others as faithful stewards of your mysteries just as you continually serve us, through Christ our Lord.
Fr Norbert Uchuno
