Saturday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time

I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth,
so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

The financial crisis of the past several years should remind us how ephemeral wealth is. Billions of dollars disappeared. I’m not an economist; I don’t know where it went but when someone went to look for it, it was gone!

The crisis in the real estate market showed us how foolish it is to build a house on sand; and that millions of otherwise intelligent people can make make such a mistake! 

In any case we should have learned from the crisis to “make friends for yourselves” with the money we have so that when it fails we will find a welcome into eternal dwellings.

In today's first  reading, we hear how Saint Paul’s friends in Philippi invested wisely. They demonstrated extraordinary affection for him and support for his mission as he traveled throughout Greece.

Money is ubiquitous, important and necessary. Every gospel, epistle, letter and book in the New Testament mentions money. It’s also very personal, perhaps more personal than religion, diet or sex.

But some people invariably complain when a pastor mentions money. At least one person will swear he’s not been to church in thirty years and the day he came back he found the priest begging for money. I suppose it happens. But perhaps that person is not ready to acknowledge the Lord who has authority over every facet of our life. If it wasn't money, it'd be sex or relationships or food or some other sacred cow he refuses to sacrifice. 

If we would know the worth of money we must consecrate it -- all of it -- to the one who was betrayed for thirty pieces of silver and died penniless on a cross.