As many of you know, since the start of Covid I have been “appearing” on the radio, the four Radio Dubuque stations which share our parking lot right over here. One of the segments is called “Father Time” and it is every Thursday morning at 8:10am on 92.9 KatFM, hosted by Lisa Bennett.
Last week, Lisa wanted to play a game on the air. She wouldn’t tell me what it was, so I was a little nervous going in, but she wanted it to be a surprise. It’s a live show so it makes it better, at least for her, when I don’t know what is gonna happen.
Anyway the game that she had to play was called “This or That.” It went well, better than I expected, and afterwards she handed me the sheet and said, “Try to work that into your homily!”
Well I thought there was really no way, but then as I got to thinking about it, it actually really does work. So the game is played this way, you are presented with two options, and you have to choose one. Here are the questions she asked:
Regular Toothbrush or Electric Toothbrush?
Snickers or Almond Joy?
Being too Warm or too Cold?
Brats or Hot Dogs?
Burgers or Tacos?
Text or Email?
Going to the Big Game or Watching at Home?
So those were the questions Lisa asked, but then I got to thinking, what would God ask? We are in situations every day where we have to choose: Pray for someone or Gossip about them? Forgive someone or hold onto a Grudge? Pray the Rosary or Check Social Media? Read the Bible or Watch TV? Go to Mass or Sleep in?
But the biggie that Jesus asked in our Gospel today was this: God or Mammon? And mammon here is meant as wealth or money, so the big “This or That” question in today’s reading is: God or Mammon?
Now God has put us in this world, He asks us to live in the world, but not be of the world, right? So what He is asking is that we use money and wealth appropriately, and not let mammon turn into our God. It is very easy to do.
So in order to prevent that, He gives us three lessons, you know, Jesus Christ is with us in the Church, to teach us the way to love “God our savior who wills everyone to be saved,” as the Letter to Timothy said.
One lesson in how we are to love God comes from the prophet Amos. In the first reading, he condemns the leaders and the wealthy of Israel. They are cheating the poor instead of treating them justly. They even stage lavish pagan-style ceremonies with the money stolen from them.
Driven by greed, they trample the needy and neglect their worship of God. They are serving mammon above God. The Lord sends Amos to announce the result of their hypocrisy: Never will I forget a thing they have done!
A second lesson comes from the parable Jesus tells in the Gospel about the dishonest steward. The steward is fired for squandering the master’s property, but then commended for making deals to benefit himself.
Now Jesus isn’t teaching us that it’s okay to be dishonest. He is teaching us to be prudent in how we use all the wealth – or gifts – we have, as prudent as the children of the world are in amassing material wealth.
For disciples of Jesus, being prudent first means acknowledging that all gifts come from God and are to be used for the greater good, not just for our own gain. This is what is meant by dishonest wealth is that it was given to us in the first place by God the Father, by the gifts He gives us, not truly earning them on our own.
The U.S. Bishops echo the importance of being prudent and just in their 2016 pastoral letter Everyday Christianity: “All human beings have unique talents, gifts from God, that we are called to develop and share … People who use their skills and expertise for the common good, and the service of others, are good stewards of the gifts they have been given.”
Being prudent also means intentionally choosing to live Gospel values in all areas of our lives, those are the little, daily “This or That’s” choices that I mentioned. The bishops said, “Living our faith in the ordinary tasks of everyday life is an essential part of what it means to be holy today.”
We usually know the “right answer” according to God, but actually choosing it is what helps us to grow in holiness. This parable really instructs us disciples to take initiative and act wisely so we can enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
The final lesson Jesus teaches in this Gospel passage is about the importance of being trustworthy. Everyday Christianity explains its importance: “When we labor with honesty, serve those in need, work for justice and contribute to charity, we use our talents to show our love – and God's love – for our brothers and sisters.”
It is a challenge to keep God first in our lives and to always act justly, prudently, and honestly. But we are not alone. Christ is with us through the Holy Spirit to inspire and encourage us. Christ is with us in the Eucharist, to strengthen our desire to become one with Him and one like Him.
It is important to give thanks, every day, for these gifts of His presence, that our love for Him and desire to serve Him will increase.
We should ask Him, every day, for help in living justly, prudently, and honestly, so that God will see by our actions, in the Ultimate Game of “This or That,” that we choose God over Mammon.