"... the person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones...." - Lk. 16:10
Jesus has told a parable about how an enterprising steward ensures his earthly future. Shouldn't we be more enterprising about ensuring our heavenly future?
Jesus then speaks about trustworthiness. It has to do with integrity: doing the right thing even when nobody is watching. So, the question is: how live a life of integrity in our relationships and with our resources?
First, when we make a promise, we should keep it. Honesty, truthfulness and reliability are the building blocks for integrity. Second, twelve out of Jesus's thirty-eight parables are about money or possessions. Billy Graham put it well when he said, "If a person gets their attitude towards money straight, it will help straighten out almost every other area in their life. Financial resources are basically a tool for doing good. The way we use them can have eternal consequences. Think of Matthew 25, "When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat...." It's not enough to do no harm. We have to positively do good. We can break the power of materialism by sharing what we have generously and cheerfully. We then will serve one Master, God.
Am I honest, truthful and reliable in my relationships with others?
God, grace me so that I will share what I have generously and cheerfully..
Reflection by:
Fr. Kevin Mackin, OFM
Did You Know...
Fr. Kevin E. Mackin, OFM, of St. Anthony Friary in St. Petersburg, has served in parish ministry and chaplaincy, and as a college president and professor. His articles and books include Enjoying God's Gifts; Get Thee Behind Me, Satan: Rejecting Evil; and Christian Unity: The Next Step 'That They May All Be One.' His website is afranciscanjourney.blogspot.com.
