Gospel
From the Gospel according to Luke
16:1-13
At that time: Jesus said to the disciples, ‘There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. And he called him and said to him, “What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.” And the manager said to himself, “What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.” So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, “How much do you owe my master?” He said, “A hundred measures of oil.” He said to him, “Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.” Then he said to another, “And how much do you owe?” He said, “A hundred measures of wheat.” He said to him, “Take your bill and write eighty.” The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.’ And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.
‘One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful with the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful with that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.’
The Gospel of the Lord.
He is Always Faithful
This Gospel passage may seem confusing: to use “the money of iniquity.” The holy fathers point out that the Lord is telling us to use this world to do good. The “money of iniquity” is, therefore, also about being faithful in all difficulties and sufferings, both great and small, and turning them into a source of grace and salvation.
God is always faithful. He always fulfils His promise. He asks us for that same faithfulness, in the little things of daily life: to be faithful to our spouse, faithful to the promise we made on our wedding day, faithful to the love we pledged to one another, in both giving and receiving. In this way, the Lord tells us, we shall be able to remain faithful in greater matters, when the Cross appears, in moments of trial or darkness. And then He promises us that He will be with us and will grant us His Grace. Let us not forget it: He is always faithful.
Brought into Married Life:
Catherine: Ahh, James, I’m going through such a difficult time with this illness; it’s such a heavy burden for me.
James: Catherine, I understand it because I see you and I know you’re suffering deeply. But you must trust and be patient; surely the Lord will bring great good out of this trial.
Catherine: It’s very hard for me to see God in all this pain, to be honest.
James: That’s why we must trust. He is always faithful, in the small things and in the big things. Up until now, in everything, He has given us His Grace.
Catherine: Yes, that’s true, even though we have never faced such a harsh situation before.
James: That makes everything much clearer. He has been training us in the smaller things and we have remained faithful. Now, in this greater challenge, we must do the same.
Catherine: You’re right. How many times has He given us the Grace to live the smaller trials in peace? So now we must remain faithful to Him in this greater one. Thank you, my husband, for helping me to see God’s will. Only with Him could I endure this.
James: Exactly. Let’s offer all of this to Him in our prayer together, as a couple.
Mother,
Help us to see the will of God in everything that happens to us, and teach us to remain faithful to Him. Thank you, Mother, for guiding us. Blessed be God!
