May the Lord bless you with peace and health in the Holy Spirit.
It is 06th November 2021.
We reflect on Romans 15:14-21 and the Gospel of Luke 16:1-8.
The root cause of all problems in our life is greed for money. Wealth, fame, and money must come after us as we value life, love, and lasting relationships in our personal and community life. Money never allows us to be the person God wants us to be. The struggle between God and money dashes the shores of our lives daily. Loving money as the priority gradually leads us to be unjust, lustful, and hazardous to our spiritual life. Never in our lifetime, we can master serving both God and money equally. When love for God takes precedence in our life, love for money loses its honour and its position. To be a fruitful and faithful follower of Jesus, love for money becomes the major obstacle. “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.” (1 Tim 6:9)
Money isolates and excludes hearts, and homes. We cannot deny the usefulness of money, yet we need to be wise and prudent in using it. Money is only a passage to use not permanent residence or destination desired. Money comes and goes but the devastating effects of it are seen for generations. Money blinds our eyes of goodness and power to see good in others. St Paul reminds us, “we brought nothing into the world so that we can take nothing out of it.” (1 Tim 6:7).
Hence, we need to prioritize love, respect, and recognition for all people especially for acknowledging and appreciating the significant contributions of women in the church as St. Paul did.
Jesus took a firm stand in talking about money and its invasion of our souls and spiritual space. We do not become righteous just because we have money. Jesus taught them that when we are honest, money, wealth and riches will be after us. But Pharisees mocked Jesus believing that money brings closer to God and a life of purity. Being accountable and transparent in dealing with money is so crucial to handling the lasting treasures of the Kingdom of God. It will be hard for God to entrust us with the riches of God when we are running after, intoxicated and crazy over money, wealth, and riches of the world. Being faithful to little things will make us trustworthy persons in front of God and people.
True love can never be defeated by the power of money and its infectious influence on our life. May the Lord grant us wisdom to use money and never allow the money to control our lives. God bless you.