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.”

Have you ever lost a job unexpectedly? It seems like today the chances of being called into the boss’ office and being told that your job has been eliminated are much higher than they were, say, 30 years ago. 

If you have not experienced an unexpected loss of your only means of income, then just imagine for a minute that it might happen to you tomorrow. What would you do? If you are like most people, you would immediately begin to search for another job. You would update your resume.  You would file for unemployment and try to figure out how you are going to continue your health insurance. This situation would most likely take most of your attention and your energy, lose sleep and would not rest until you found another job. 

In today’s Gospel the dishonest steward had this experience. He learned that he was about to lose his job.  He immediately sprung into action and came up with a plan to provide for his financial needs.

For the steward, losing his job was a more dire situation than losing a job today. In Jesus’ time there were no unemployment benefits or Cobra plans to provide a way to keep your health insurance.  The only options for this man seemed to be hard physical labor or begging.  The Gospel tells us that he was not strong enough for a job of digging and that he was too ashamed to become a beggar.

He came up with a plan. It was a dishonest plan that apparently cheated his boss out of money in order to help himself. We are told that he went to all those who owed the rich man money and he reduced the amount they owed. He did this so these people would be indebted to him and would likely help him when he found himself out of work.

He was not honest, but he was CLEVER and QUICK-WITTED. The rich man soon came to know about this plan, what did he do? Did he throw him into prison for this dishonest handling of his debts? No, he PRAISED him for his sense of urgency and cleverness.

The parable Jesus tells us today is like all of His parables, using everyday experiences to communicate a spiritual truth. Today’s lesson is not about the questionable methods of the dishonest steward. It is about recognizing that which is extremely urgent and taking immediate action to correct it.  It is about waking up from our spiritual slumber and becoming to spiritual attention.

Who’s more important in your life? Your doctor, who takes care of your physical body or your priest who cares for your soul?  We certainly go to see our doctor as soon as something serious comes about in regard to our physical health.  Do we immediately go to confession when we commit a mortal sin?

Is it possible you might be called to meet Jesus in the coming week? Yet, how many of us think about our death? Do we have a sense of urgency to prepare for this meeting?  If we truly believe what we profess to believe, we know that we are going to spend all of ETERNITY in one of two places, either in Heaven or in Hell.  Don’t you think it might be a good idea to have a sense of urgency about preparing yourself for eternal life when you could be called to it at any time?

We may say to ourselves “I go to Mass on Sundays, put an envelope in the basket, and I even say my prayers every night.  I am good, right?”

Are you sure you that’s enough? Are you sure that’s all God is asking of you?

Think of it this way. What if you told your boss that you were only going to come to work 1 hour a week and maybe do a little something for him from time to time. Maybe you’d also remember him just before going to sleep at night. How long do you think you’d keep your job if this was your attitude?

So, just how should we think about spiritual matters? What do we really believe about the state of our souls? Do you really believe that spiritual matters are more important than material matters?

Are we convinced that a threat to our spiritual welfare – the chance that we could LOSE our souls – can be even more grave than threats to our finances or our health? And, are we willing to ACT on this threat? THIS is the question at the heart of today’s gospel.

What is the spiritual life all about? It’s about our RELATIONSHIP to God, to Jesus the Son, who Paul tells us in today’s second reading is the one mediator between God and men. Jesus Christ is our ONLY link to eternal life. If we truly believe what we profess to believe, we must our nurture relationship with him. THIS is truly THE MOST IMPORTANT thing in our lives.

The Gospels tell us this over and over again. Our relationship with God is more important than our family, our riches, our very lives. Jesus tells us that it profits the soul NOTHING to gain the whole world and lose your soul. If you lose your link to God by not developing a true friendship with Jesus, you can have it all and yet have nothing. 

Like the steward in today’s Gospel, we must all take immediate action and be resourceful in how we provide for the most important needs of our lives. We must spend time attending to the needs of our eternal soul.

Let us ask the Lord as we approach and receive Him during Holy Communion today that He will help us to take seriously what our faith teaches us about our eternal salvation and spring into action to make the changes we need to make for the health of our spiritual lives.

When the time comes for you to meet Jesus, you will be able to meet him with a clear conscience and in a state of grace. Remember, the only thing you take with you to that encounter at the moment of your death is the love you have shown him by way of how you have treated others.

Are YOU willing to invest the time necessary each day to properly care for your soul? Are you ready to meet Jesus if he comes for you today?

Each year, the Catholic Church in the United States designates the third Sunday in September as “Catechetical Sunday”— a day on which to celebrate and pray for the Church’s mission to teach the Gospel to all people.

This year’s theme is “This is my body given for you.”

Each of you as  catechists, are responding to the call to share the gift of faith with others, even as you deepen your own faith. This call may have reached you through your pastor, your parish’s religious education program, or through your role as a teacher.  Know that this calling ultimately comes from God, whose Holy Spirit inspires and guides you.  May God Bless Each and Everyone of You.

Deacon Anthony Falasca, Jr., Permanent Deacon, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Basilica and Saint Anthony Parish

Today’s sacred readings give us yet another opportunity to reflect upon our purpose in life. While earthly goods are intended to be used in wholesome ways, they must never become the center of our desires. Jesus exhorts us to remember that we have a far more serious purpose in life than acquiring wealth or possessions. 

In today’s first reading, the Prophet Amos cries out a message to all profiteers who exploit the poor. These immoral merchants despise the needy and make money off of them. They purposely tamper with the scales and sell defective goods. They raise prices by taking advantage of shortages in such unscrupulous ways that their dishonesty cries out to the Lord for vengeance. And, being a student of Hebrew Scripture, Jesus reiterates to His disciples the woes that will befall those who cheat their fellow man.  

 “Sons of this world” know all about making friends with money – which quite often is not even their money at all. In today’s Gospel account, the unfaithful steward was squandering the master’s property for his own gain. Yet, the master commends him for being so cunning and for having such shrewd business sense. Jesus tells the parable not to praise dishonesty but to make a point. St. Augustine comments that Jesus proposed this parable “not because dishonesty is a quality for us to imitate but to point out that the worldly-wise steward had an eye to the future”.  This is all the more reason for the Christian to contemplate the future and his or her eternal reward. If not, the steward puts every half-hearted Christian to shame. If worldly people can think ahead regarding money and prestige, how much more should God’s people have concern about their spiritual future?

But Christ calls us to a more excellent life; a life of virtue that exhibits love, concern, compassion, and charity for one another. He calls us to make full use of our resources for the service of God for “no ideal is comparable to that of serving Christ by using the talents we have been given as a means to everlasting goodness” (Fernandez).

Our consumer-driven society is no help. Different forms of media constantly bombard us to buy this, to do that. Advertisement works overtime to convince us that we need even more. The lure of acquiring earthly goods and doing whatever is necessary to get ahead brings many to the point of idolatry and ultimately separates the possessor from God. As St. Paul says, many have become lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.

Yet, God provides for all we need. He knows our unique circumstances and desires that we trust Him. He will never disappoint us nor abandon us. Even when we desire more earthly possessions we need to be grateful for what He has already given us. For Jesus tells us in Mark’s Gospel, “What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his [eternal] life” (Mk 8:36)? Would our actions describe us as “children of this age” or “children of light”? 

As we think about the parable where do we find ourselves relative to relationships with one another and the justice of Jesus Christ? Can we identify with any or all of the persons described by Jesus? Have we ever behaved like the steward? Have we ever been taken advantage of by an unscrupulous person? Have we ever trusted someone with our wealth or possessions to find they have been squandered? Who can we trust?

There is one person we can trust our very lives to – and that person is Jesus Christ. Even as injustice ruins the fiber of our culture, Jesus remains true to His Covenant to be our Savior, Redeemer, Brother, and Friend. We can bring our deepest, most intimate needs to Him. And, in times of hurt, we can lay our deepest sorrows before Him – and He remains true to His promise to love us with an everlasting love.  

At the time of our judgment, Jesus will demand we give an account of our stewardship for He is the Just Judge. It’s never too late to set things right with God and with others for we cannot serve both God and mammon. The choice is ours. Let us choose wisely.

Deacon Mark Izzo, Permanent Deacon, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Basilica and Saint Anthony Parish

It has long been a Catholic understanding that when circumstances prevent one from receiving Holy Communion, it is possible to make an Act of Spiritual Communion, which is a source of grace. Spiritual Communion is an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament and lovingly embrace him at a time or in circumstances when one cannot receive Him in sacramental Communion. The most common reason for making an Act of Spiritual Communion is when a person cannot attend Mass. Acts of Spiritual Communion increase our desire to receive sacramental Communion and help us avoid the sins that would make us unable to receive Holy Communion worthily.

Spiritual Communion Prayer

My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.

I love you above all things and I desire to receive you in my soul.

Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally,

Come at least spiritually into my heart.

I embrace you as if you were already there

And unite myself wholly to you.

Never permit me to be separated from you.

Amen.