Category Archives: 31st

What do we ultimately look for in life? Do we look for a happy and prosperous life here on earth, or do we seek eternal life? We say that we seek eternal life, but sometimes we may end up focusing a lot on our lives here on earth, and neglect our relationship with God. When we do so, we end up becoming more and more accustomed to the ways of the world, and drift away from the ways of Christ. At the end of the day, is this what we really want? Do we seek only what is temporary, and risk being alienated from God?

In today’s Gospel, we are reminded, “No servant can be the slave of two masters: he will either hate the first and love the second, or treat the first with respect and the second with scorn. You cannot be the slave both of God and of money.” The Gospel reading is not trying to tell us that we should forget about our lives here on earth, since we still need to survive and care for our loved ones and ourselves. What the Gospel reading is telling us is this: if we choose to serve God, then we should focus our priorities on growing in relationship with God, while not neglecting our responsibilities here on earth. May we choose our master wisely, since what we choose would have temporal or eternal consequences.

It is a reality in life that we need money to survive, especially in the modern world we live in. Few things in life are free, and to ensure a decent existence, we need to have some money with us. But needing to have some money does not mean we end up focusing only on money, at the risk or expense of losing our relationship with God. The question we need to ask is this: do we use money or do we serve money?

One good example of how one should use money and not serve money is St. Paul. In today’s reading, St. Paul tells us: “I have learnt to manage on whatever I have, I know how to be poor and I know how to be rich too. I have been through my initiation and now I am ready for anything anywhere: full stomach or empty stomach, poverty or plenty. There is nothing I cannot master with the help of the One who gives me strength.”

What about us? Are we learning to be like St. Paul and use money for the glory of God? Or have we allowed ourselves to become enslaved by money and serve money? May we come to realise our spiritual situation and what sort of relationship we have with God, and do something while we have the time and opportunity to do so.

A Key Performance Indicator (KPI) is a measurable value that demonstrates how effectively a company is achieving key business objectives. Organisations use KPIs at multiple levels to evaluate their success at reaching targets.When it comes to our spiritual life, we also have a form of KPI which we need to watch out for. What sort of KPI are we talking about?

In our spiritual life, one KPI of our spiritual condition and relationship with God, is connected to our relationship with money: do we use money or do we serve money? One good example of how one should use money and not serve money is St. Paul. In today’s reading, St. Paul tells us: “I have learnt to manage on whatever I have, I know how to be poor and I know how to be rich too. I have been through my initiation and now I am ready for anything anywhere: full stomach or empty stomach, poverty or plenty. There is nothing I cannot master with the help of the One who gives me strength.”

What about us? Have we learnt to be like St. Paul and use money for the glory of God? Or have we allowed ourselves to become enslaved by money and serve money? May we come to realise our spiritual situation, and do something while we have the time and opportunity to do so.

There was this incident some years back, where I was in a hurry to buy some toiletries at a chinese medicine shop, and I rushed out after paying at the counter. Then, to my surprise, the shopkeeper ran after me calling my attention. I was a little nervous because I didn’t know what had gone wrong. Did I accidentally get something from the shop without paying? Did I pay the shopkeeper too little? Before he could speak, I tried to ask the shopkeeper what was the matter. He smiled and replied, “Sir, you forgot your change.” Then, he handed to me a ten cent coin with a receipt.

When I reflect on this incident, I am reminded of today’s Gospel: “The man who can be trusted in little things can be trusted in great; the man who is dishonest in little things will be dishonest in great. If then you cannot be trusted with money, that tainted thing, who will trust you with genuine riches? And if you cannot be trusted with what is not yours, who will give you what is your very own?”

The shopkeeper gave me the change out of his sense of honesty and not wanting me to be shortchanged, even if the amount involved seemed small. Honesty is part of our being Christian, yet I sometimes wonder whether some of us may have ignored doing small acts of honesty, like returning a borrowed pen, reporting lost objects or damaged items, paying the right price, asking for permission before using an item belonging to others, and many others. Are we able to remain steadfast in being honest, and do what is right for the glory of God?