25th Sunday Year C

22nd September 2013

Luke 16:1-13

As we’d say in Wexford, there’s fierce sense in this piece. It’s common sense.

Jesus takes everyday experience and uses it to teach us about eternity.

In this case He argues that if we can’t be trusted with money, how can we be trusted with the riches of Gods Kingdom, with Heaven?

It’s common sense. If you’re an employer and you can’t trust a particular employee with your money, do you make that employee the manager?

So, if God can’t trust you with money He’s not going to give you his Kingdom! He’s not going to give you Heaven!

Can’t trust us with money yet give us the power of angels? It’s not going to happen!

Notice Jesus’ descriptive terms (how he describes things); ‘genuine riches’ against ‘money, that tainted thing’

There’s always a tension in the teaching of Jesus between making provision for our earthly life (money that tainted thing, what is not yours) and making provision for eternal life (genuine riches, what is your very own)

Let me put it this way:

How many people in Ireland buy a lotto ticket every week? Why? There are very good reasons but generally it’s about making provision for our earthly life.

Jesus makes the point that we’re very good at making provision for our earthly life but not so good at making provision for eternal life; the children of this world are more astute in dealing with their own kind than are the children of light.

Now compare the intensity, the expectancy, the anticipation, the hope, the sense of possibility with which we approach the lotto (or our business or other interests), compare that with our approach to the Church, to Mass and the Sacraments, particularly Holy Communion.

What do you find? A kind of unawareness that God can make us happy, that God is the source of true happiness, that we’re designed for union with God.

When Jesus speaks of genuine riches, what is yours, He means himself, his life poured into ours.