Dear Parish Family,

We hear a lot about "dishonest wealth" in today's Gospel. We need an adequate interpretation of this passage to understand the meaning of Jesus' words about dishonest wealth and true wealth. In short, dishonest wealth, or "mammon" as Jesus also calls it, refers to the riches of this world (wealth, pleasure, power, and honor). True wealth, on the other hand, refers to our relationship with God, our identity in Christ, our fidelity to the mission of the Church and to our particular vocations, and the exercise of the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. When we serve God, we appropriate true wealth. When we serve mammon, the acquisition of dishonest wealth becomes the purpose of our lives, and when this happens we can be sure that we have lost the true north in our relationship with and service to God. "You cannot serve both God and mammon."

 

Dishonest wealth or "mammon" are not inherently evil, and can actually be very powerful resources to use for the Kingdom of God. When the dishonest steward generously gives the master's gifts away, Jesus says, "And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently." Indeed, the dishonest steward was prudent (generous, merciful) to his master's debtors by giving away the wealth he had formerly accumulated for himself. 

 

Jesus goes so far as to say, "Make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings." Interpretation? Don't cling to or befriend the dishonest wealth itself (for it will eventually fail you, and you can't bring it with you to heaven), but use it prudently (mercifully, generously) to make friends with others so that they can sing your praises one day in heaven!

 

"If you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth, who will trust you with true wealth?" If we show that we are free to use dishonest wealth generously and mercifully for others, we will prove ourselves trustworthy for receiving the true wealth of the Holy Spirit in the Kingdom of God. 

I am yours in Christ,

Fr. Scott Goodfellow