Hymns for Mass – Press Here

FIRST READING (Against those who buy the poor for money.)

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Amos (8:4-7)

Hear this, you who trample upon the needy and destroy the poor of the land! “When will the new moon be over,” you ask, “that we may sell our grain, and the sabbath, that we may display the wheat? We will diminish the ephah, add to the shekel, and fix our scales for cheating! We will buy the lowly for silver, and the poor for a pair of sandals; even the refuse of the wheat we will sell!” The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob: Never will I forget a thing they have done! —The Word of the Lord.

R. Thanks be to God.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (113:1-2, 4-6, 7-8)

R. Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor. (Cf. Ps 113:1a, 7b)

Or Alleluia.

Praise, you servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord both now and forever. (R)

High above all nations is the Lord; above the heavens is his glory. Who is like the Lord, our God, who is enthroned on high and looks upon the heavens and the earth below? (R)

He raises up the lowly from the dust; from the dunghill he lifts up the poor to seat them with princes, with the princes of his own people. (R)

SECOND READING (Let prayers be offered for everyone to God who wills everyone to be saved.)

A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to Timothy (2:1-8)

Beloved: First of all, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity. This is good and pleasing to God our savior, who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth. For there is one God. There is also one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as ransom for all. This was the testimony at the proper time. For this I was appointed preacher and apostle—I am speaking the truth, I am not lying— teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

It is my wish, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger or argument.— The Word of the Lord.

R. Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Cf. 2 Cor 8:9)

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Though our Lord Jesus Christ was rich, he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. (R)

(Long Form)

GOSPEL (You cannot serve both God and mammon.)

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (16:1-13)

Jesus said to his disciples, “A rich man had a steward who was reported to him for squandering his property. He summoned him and said, ‘What is this I hear about you? Prepare a full account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward.’ The steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do, now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me? I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg. I know what I shall do so that, when I am removed from the stewardship, they may welcome me into their homes.’ He called in his master’s debtors one by one. To the first he said, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He replied, ‘One hundred measures of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note. Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.’ Then to another the steward said, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘One hundred kors of wheat.’ The steward said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note; write one for eighty.’ And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently.

“For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. 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. If, therefore, you are 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. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon.” —The Gospel of the Lord.

R. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

(Short Form)

GOSPEL (You cannot serve both God and mammon.)

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (16:10-13)

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 dishonest in great ones. If, therefore, you are 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. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon.”—The Gospel of the Lord.

R. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

“Money, MONEY, MONEY!”

Many here in Hong Kong who working in various market-driven fields understand how difficult it is to talk about financial equity in a market-driven economy. We look around and see sports figures and entertainers earning extravagant salaries, while people in essential service professions – be they teachers, or helpers, transport drivers and civil servants – often find it difficult- if nearly impossible – to make ends meet. Many people around us struggle with some form of money problems especially after months of shut-downs and high inflation affecting all sectors of life. In the broader scope of world economy, citizens of some nations are considered more privileged than others. If we were to follow the injunction of the Gospel story of the rich young man – to sell what we have and give to the poor – many of us would end up on welfare and we would become a financial burden to others. So, what are we supposed to do?

Our Scriptures do not give us an answer of WHAT to do. Instead, they give to us standards that suggest HOW we are do follow up on our decisions. We see this in our first reading today from the prophet Amos. The prophet addresses the wealthy in the more prosperous northern kingdom. He does not condemn prosperity itself, but only the way they use the power that comes from wealth. Rather than taking care of the less fortunate around them, they take advantage and use the poor for their own benefit. We need to remind ourselves that the people of Israel were bound together – rich and poor alike – by the COVENANT. This arrangement implies that the wealthy had covenant responsibilities to the needy. Caring for the poor of the land was not a question of charity; it was a matter of covenant justice.

Our Gospel today is rather difficult to understand. A man who first squandered the property of his employer and then cheated him out of goods that were due to him is PRAISED by the very employer that he outmaneuvered. A closer look at the text reveals that the steward is praised for his prudence (the Greek word used can be more clearly translated as shrewdness or practical wisdom), not for his dishonesty.

In the ancient world, economic systems were much different than today, so we cannot judge them on contemporary standards. The story does not tell us what debts were forgiven. Were they the overcharge that enhanced the employer’s holdings at the expense of the debtors, or were they the commission that the steward should have taken off the top? Whatever the case, the steward did not manage his employer’s property well, and he certainly knew how to endear himself to the debtors, thus taking care of himself. In this act he showed self-interested practical wisdom (or shrewdness). And this shrewdness is that Jesus holds up to us as disciples. Like the steward, we are expected to exercise this sort of wisdom. But while the steward was devious, we are to be trustworthy, even in matters that pertain to this world, for “The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones.”

Examining this text in the original Greek is helpful. Two important words in our Gospel today come from the root oikos, the Greek word for the household: the steward or manager (oikonomos); and household servant (oiketes). Neither the steward nor servant can claim ownership of the goods of the household. Jesus’ last words state: “You cannot serve both God and mammon.” Here the word serve means to be a slave to something. Also here, “dishonest wealth” and “mammon” are translations of the exact same Greek word tzaztova. Thus, Jesus is instructing us to choose between God and riches dishonestly acquired.

Another word derived from oikos (household), though not found in our parable but important for our understanding is oikonomia (economy or household management). The word has now broadened to include even the largest human communities. Our contemporary economy is not only market-driven, but it is also based on principles of private property. As valuable as these principles may be, they often blur some of the values raised in today’s readings. Though we have the right to private property, we must recognize that we only USE, rather than OWN, the goods of the earth. They are not our exclusive property. Pope St. John Paul II speaks of the “social mortgage” on all of our possessions.

Using the language of the Gospel, we might say that the earth with all its riches is the household; God is the householder; and we are the stewards or household servants. The question to us is: Just how well do we manage the goods that are in our trust? Are we devious, or are we trustworthy? Do we manage these goods in ways that enhance the entire household and benefit all who belong, or do we squander them, thinking only of ourselves? And when we are called to accountability, do we change our course of action, or do we slyly seek ways that will guarantee our own comfort, even at the expense of others? Do we cling to the rights of private property, or do we recognize our covenant responsibility in seeing to the just needs of others? Jesus’ final words are very demanding: “You cannot be a [slave] to both God and [dishonest wealth].” What will you – we – decide?

Prayers

Celebrant: God entrusts us with gifts to use for his glory and the good of other people. As we bring our prayers to him, we know that we must learn to be more responsible and generous.

READER: For our Church and her social ministry to the poor of this world, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: For those nations where the poor cry out for bread and justice, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: For all those captured or enslaved by financial problems that they learn to trust in God and his Divine Providence, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: For single-minded love of God and compassion for the needy around us, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: For those who are in need of our prayers especially those suffering from chronic or critical illnesses, and for our faithful departed ones that our prayers and petition may intercede for them, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

CELEBRANT: Father, we intercede for people in many stages of life. Receive these prayers in the name of your Son, the Lord of all, who lives and reigns for ever and ever, (all) AMEN.