I didn’t get my homily from yesterday posted, so here it is a day late.

First Reading: Amos 8:4-7

Gospel Reading: Luke 14:10-13

Jesus said to his disciples: “The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonesst in great ones. If, therefore, you aare not trustworthy with dishonest wealth, who will trust you with true wealth? If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours? No servant can serve two masters. No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon.”

The message of our First Reading and Gospel Reading is pretty clear: “Don’t cheat the poor!” and “Don’t put your hope for eternal life in monetary wealth!”

The prophet Amos declares that God will condemn those who have manipulated their scales and the tools of their trade in order to cheat their customers. It doesn’t matter what trade one is in, or what tools correspond to that trade. The bottom line is: Don’t try to cheat the poor and vulnerable, because God sees everything. Nothing is hidden from His divine eye. You may succeed at fooling your customers, or your administrators. You may even convince yourself that what you’re doing is necessary to support the lifestyle you’ve chosen. But you cannot fool God. You cannot convince God that what is wrong is right and what is right is wrong. God is not mocked. His eye is all-seeing, and His cards, often played close to the chest, may not be revealed until it is too late. So, do not tempt the Lord your God!

Again, you may convince yourself that “this is the way the game is played” and that you need to play it that way in order to get by. But God challenges us to live beyond what the world expects and live according to what He expects. God expects to see in our lives those that are lived for the sake of others, and for the sake of our salvation.

It is foolishness, then, to “invest” in the things of this world, hoping they will bring us security in our old age, or security in our relationships, or security against the loans we’ve given or taken (financial loans, of course, but emotional debt and spiritual debt, too). Rather, invest in the things that last forever. Better to use your money to build up your soul in righteousness than to build that extra wing to your summer vacation home. You cannot take the extra wing of your summer vacation home with you to the kingdom. But you will carry with you all of the things you gave away for the sake of others.

The only things we get to take to the kingdom are the things we gave away to those in need. St. Veronica Giuliani, an Italian mystic and one who lived a deep, profound spiritual life, one evening had a dream. She dreamt that she was standing before our Lord in judgment, and she sensed that the judgment would not be a good one. But just as the Lord was about to speak her condemnation, a group of poor ones entered the room. They set before the Lord all of the shoes, socks, shirts, trousers, etc. Sr. Veronica had given away over the course of her life. The testimony of the poor to all that Sister had done for them in their temporal lives moved the Lord’s heart, so that St. Veronica was not imprisoned by her sins, but set free by her generous heart, giving to the poor out of pure love for Christ.

Jesus is contrasting dishonest wealth with the spiritual wealth of living the Gospel and entering the kingdom of God. What is dishonest wealth? It is the kind of wealth that can tempt us away from the priorities of the kingdom. It doesn’t have to be a lot. Are we tempted to use our money to accumulate more temporal wealth rather than dedicate that money for the kingdom of God? What can compare to the kingdom?

We cannot serve God and mammon. The word “mammon” in the ancient Hebrew of Jesus’ time meant something in which you placed your hope. So, the people of Palestine, wanting to retire someday just as we do today, would put their money in investments in hopes of getting a good return to secure them in their later years. This is one of the ways “mammon” became identified specifically with money. Jesus, contrary to every economic expert and forecast, thinks this is wasted money. How foolish to invest in things that, eventually, will dry up and rot, or even have no physical reality.

The temptation is to interpret what Jesus says here spiritually, so we can invest in the kingdom with our prayers, our time at the food pantry, and not have to worry about our financial investments or how well we are living. I honestly don’t think Jesus will let us get away with that. Our family budget is a spiritual document and a moral document. What are we setting aside for the sake of those in need? What are we setting aside for the sake of the kingdom? How much are we investing in the cause of our salvation?

Invest in the mansion God has set aside for each of us in the kingdom. Invest in your heavenly mansion. If we are devoted to Jesus and investing in His kingdom by giving away to those in need, we will build up a treasury of good deeds that God will see and mark on the record. Then Jesus our Judge will say to us what we all hope to hear when we stand before Him: “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you are faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy. … Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Mt 25:23, 34b).

Be Christ for all. Bring Christ to all. See Christ in all.