Lk 16: 9-15
And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes. “Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own?
No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this, and they ridiculed him. So he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of others; but God knows your hearts; for what is prized by human beings is an abomination in the sight of God.
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Who do you serve?
If asked whether we serve God or wealth, most of us would quickly respond that we serve God. But most choices that we face are not presented in such a black and white contrast. Jesus reminds us not to be driven by a quest for material goods, power, prestige, or awards. Saint Ignatius says that we should be indifferent to whether or not these things come our way, and instead should focus our energy on serving the Lord. In his rules for discernment, he advises that we first look at the orientation of our lives. Am I oriented toward God, or away from God? Am I straying from the right path, or am I trying to live a decent life as a Christian? As we ask ourselves these questions, Jesus reminds us that God knows our hearts, and often cares little for those things the world values.
In your daily life, who do you serve?
—Jesuit Prayer team
Prayer
Lord God,
help me to orient my life toward you.
Help me to serve you rather than wealth.
Help me to prioritize those things that matter to you,
and forget about what the world values.
Help me to follow the path that you prepare for me.
Amen.
—Jesuit Prayer team