HOMILY/SERMON FOR 31ST FRIDAY IN ORDINARY TIME — YEAR B
HOMILY/SERMON FOR 31ST FRIDAY IN ORDINARY TIME — YEAR B
HOMILY THEME: THE NECESSITY OF PRUDENT FORESIGHT
BY: Fr. Isaac Awe
Philippians 3:17-4:1, Ps. 122:1-5, Luke 16:1-8
How can a bad person possibly give good example? Jesus obviously thought that the example of a rascal would be a perfect illustration for a spiritual lesson about the kingdom of God! What’s the point of Jesus’s parable? The dishonest steward is commended for his shrewdness. The original meaning of “shrewdness” is “foresight”. A shrewd person grasps a critical situation with resolution and foresight. Jesus is concerned here with something more critical than a financial crisis. His concern is that we avert spiritual crisis through the exercise of faith and foresight. If Christians would only expend as much foresight and energy to spiritual matters which have eternal consequences as much as they do to earthly matters which have temporal consequences, then they would be truly better off, both in this life and in the age to come. Ambrose, a 4th century bishop said: The bosoms of the poor, the houses of widows, the mouths of children are the barns which last forever.
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True wealth consists not in what we keep but in what we give away. Possessions are a great responsibility. The Lord expects us to use them honestly and responsibly and to put them at his service and the service of others. We are God’s servants and all that we have belongs to him. He expects us to make a good return on what he gives us. God loves generosity and he gives liberally to those who share his gifts with others. The Pharisees, however, had no room for God or others in their hearts. The gospel says they were lovers of money. Love of money and wealth crowd out love of God and love of neighbor. Jesus makes clear that our hearts must either be possessed by God’s love or our hearts will be possessed by the love of something else. What does our hearts most treasure?
PRAYER: Lord, all that we have is a gift from you. May we love you freely and generously with all that we possess. Help us to be wise and faithful stewards of our time, finances, and possessions. May we regard all that we have as yours. Free from greed and possessiveness and fill us with generosity in giving liberally to others, especially those in need, and to the work of the gospel. Amen
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