Who is your master?

Listening to the Spirit

Lord, thank you for the gift of Your Word so that all your people may know and love You more and understand You better.

As I go about my day may I not forget the scriptures you have opened up for me.

Help me to recognize how You want for me to apply Your Word to my daily life. Holy Spirit, guided by Your Word, may You enlighten my mind and enkindle in my heart a greater love for You and for others in my family and in the world.

Amen.

Listening to the Word

Luke 16:1-13

Jesus said to his disciples,

"A rich man had a steward who was reported to him for squandering his property. He summoned him and said, 'What is this I hear about you? Prepare a full account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward.

The steward said to himself, 'What shall I do, now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me? I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg. I know what I shall do so that, when I am removed from the stewardship, they may welcome me into their homes.' He called in his master's debtors one by one. To the first he said, 'How much do you owe my master?' He replied, 'One hundred measures of olive oil.' He said to him, 'Here is your promissory note. Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.' Then to another the steward said, 'And you, how much do you owe?' He replied, 'One hundred kors of wheat.' The steward said to him, 'Here is your promissory note; write one for eighty.' And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently. "For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.

I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones. If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth, who will trust you with true wealth? If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours?

No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon."

Reflection

Who is your master? This is the question Jesus asks us in today’s Gospel. At the end of the parable of the dishonest steward, Jesus gives us a clear teaching: “You cannot serve both God and Money.” It’s one of those simple but hard truths. Because whether we admit it or not, money has a strong power over our decisions, our plans, even our dreams.

The same is true regarding the current situation in the Philippines. Just recently, it was discovered that money was lost in government flood control projects that was supposed to help communities but was instead pocketed by some corrupt officials. While people suffer from flooding, some leaders were busy serving money instead of serving the people. This is exactly what the prophet Amos condemned in the first reading: those who cheat the poor and take advantage of the vulnerable. God does not forget such injustice.

Jesus is not telling us that money is evil. Instead, He reminds us that money is only a tool. The problem comes when the tool becomes the master. If all our choices are dictated by profit, greed, or selfish gain, then money has replaced God in our hearts.

That is why Jesus praises the steward not for cheating, but for being smart in preparing for the future. In the same way, we should also be wise—using our resources not for selfishness, but for building God’s kingdom.

A good way to check this is by looking at our calendar and our use of money. Where do we spend most of our time? Where do we spend most of our money? These two things often reveal our real priorities. If we say God is our master, then our schedule and our spending should also reflect our faith, our care for others, and our commitment to justice.

The Gospel challenges us to choose wisely. Let us serve God, not money. Let us be faithful in prayer, just in our dealings, and smart in how we use the blessings God has given us. In the end, the question still remains- Who is your master? Let our answer be not in words but in the evident demonstration through our lives: We serve the Lord.