Lk 16:9-15 Who Will Give You What Is Yours?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 dishonest in great ones…No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”
Who will make you happy? Who will bring you peace? What will make you happy? What will bring you peace?
A few days ago I received a beautiful postcard from London. It was a pleasant surprise because I don’t know anyone who lives in London. The postcard read, “Thank you so much for your daily meditations. You help me keep going in a secular world. Your writing is punctuated through and through with strong faith. What is your secret?”
What is my secret? First of all, it is wonderful to receive such kind messages like this one. But I can honestly say that my meditations are not just from me; they are heaven inspired. So, I really cannot take much of the credit for them. Of course I write and reflect on scripture daily, but when it comes to “inspiration”; well, they may not speak to you, but they definitely speak to me. Or I should say, I was definitely spoken to.
What is the secret? Allow the Lord to speak to you. He will, and it will be very loud and clear. Too often we tell the Lord what we want! Very infrequently do we ask the Lord what He wants? Too often do we place our trust in others! Not often enough do I place my trust in the Lord! Too often do we spend way too much time in front of the TV or computer! Not often enough do we spend time in front of the Blessed Sacrament or in Church. Too often do we believe that our problems will be solved by our institutions! Not often enough do we believe that He alone is The Solution! Too often do I serve my neighbor! Not often enough do I serve the Lord.
What is the secret? It is simple. If I truly wish to follow, to love and to serve the Lord above all other things, then I must follow, love and serve the Lord. I must give the Lord the benefit of the doubt. I must give to Him what I owe to Him: my unconditional loyalty and love to Him. I must adore the Lord and no one else! I must make my heart an exclusive heart. I must “hate one and love the other.”
What do you say when someone tells you, “Well done!” Do you say, “Thank you!” or do you say, “Thanks be to God!” What do you say when someone looks up to you and says, “Look at all you have accomplished.” Do you say, “That is so kind of you”, or do you say, “Only by the grace of God!”
The secret to having more faith in God is to give God the credit that He deserves. If I do not, then I have made “dishonest wealth!” I am stealing from the Lord. I am taking what rightfully belongs to Him. Those of us who “steal” from the Lord usually end up looking for our happiness and peace in all the wrong places!
Recently I went to lunch with a friend of mine. I told him that I recently bought my first bottle of wine. He was shocked! He couldn’t believe it! But he wasn’t shocked in the fact that I bought a bottle of wine; rather, he was shocked that it was the first time I had bought a bottle of wine! I told him that I bought it because it helped take away some pain I experience in my stomach. At that, he told me something that made me laugh so hard! In his very dry humor, he said, “Oh, father…wine is amazing…It takes away pain; it takes away shame; it takes away guilt…” I nearly died of laughter! Of course he was being funny! But how many of us rely on a glass of wine rather than on the one who can turn water into wine!
Only the Lord can give us what is truly ours. Only the Lord can give our lives the sweetness, the excitement, the love and the peace we all desire. It will not come from this world. It will only come from above.
May we heed and observe carefully the words of our Lord. “You justify yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts; for what is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God.”
Let us give to the Lord what is rightfully His so that He can give to us what is truly ours!
