Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, C September 22, 2019
Fr. Albert St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette
So, I keep saying that I see potential in this parish. Allow me to offer a list of possibilities during my term as pastor: establish a youth group, improve the parking lot, hire an outreach coordinator, deal with the old convent and school, offer ongoing adult formation in the parish, restore some of the Church’s former beauty, enrich our music program, start a children’s choir, host parish missions for lent and advent, increase our service to the poor, improve lighting and sound in the church, offer praise and worship events, host regular family game nights and who knows what else. Some are simply a matter of time and organization on my part, but all of them will be easier and more effective with your help.
Truly, this parish doesn’t belong to me. It is entrusted to you as well. And I am deeply grateful for the fidelity I’ve seen in this parish and for the support and encouragement these past 7 and half months. Now comes the time when I have to address a topic many people don’t like to hear. But I’m not the one who brought it up; Jesus did. “You cannot serve both God and Mammon.” Mammon means wealth, money. Rather than hearing me talk numbers, let’s understand what God says.
First of all, money itself is not evil; Greed is evil. The point of the first reading is that God punishes those who take advantage of other human beings. Diminishing the ephah and adding to the shekel means cheating on measurements of currency – it’s a subtle form of stealing. Grain feeds less and costs more, causing the poor to go hungry. When you put your own personal gain over the well-being of another human being made in God’s likeness, then you are serving Mammon. And that is just silly. All money will disappear. Literally everything except you will disappear one day. So it’s absurd to risk your soul for an illusion.
To make this point, Jesus Christ calls all money “dishonest wealth.” Does he mean that having money makes us dishonest? Is he saying that being wealthy is the same thing as stealing? Not exactly. When we accept that God is the creator and master of the universe, we also accept that everything we own – including the stuff we “earn” with our hard work – actually belongs to God. Yes, farming and manufacturing and trading make us money, but none of that stuff exists unless God keeps it in existence. Yes, we use skills and labor to earn money, but where do intelligence and strength come from? The fact that we exist at all is a gift from God. In reality, the money, the wealth is not really ours but belongs to God. He entrusts it to us to see what we’ll do with it, but what’s valuable is God’s love and trust, not the money itself. So, money is “dishonest” because it can’t tell us what we’re truly worth. If we judge our value by our wealth, we are being lied to.
So what is true wealth? Holiness. True wealth is love. The fact that God loves us and our ability to love God and neighbor are what make us “valuable.” Money is almost irrelevant. The only way it matters is that how we spend our money says something about what we love. Someone poor in money can be rich in love and holiness if, even when it hurts, they give what they have to serve God and neighbor. If someone is rich in money and gives more in terms of numbers, it doesn’t mean more love. If it doesn’t hurt, if they don’t even notice what they give because they can spare so much, they are not as wealthy in what matters.
Imagine you have two sons who both still get everything they need from you. You give the older one $1000 and the younger one $100. When your birthday comes around, the older son spends $50 on a generic Walmart gift card. The younger son also spends $50, but on a gift certificate to your favorite restaurant. Which son is richer now?
If you judge your worth by money, you will be mistaken. I try very hard to avoid looking at donations unless its absolutely necessary. I can’t name what any person in here gives to the Church in a given month. To me, your worth is the fact that you are made in God’s image and that you are baptized into Christ Jesus. As an administrator, I have to care about certain numbers in paying the bills, but as a pastor I care more that you are doing what is best for your soul. I cherish holiness and salvation, even if it means the parish doesn’t get a dime. The fact is, however, that you cannot serve God and Mammon. If your love of money stops you from loving God with your money, then you only hurt yourself.
I’m not saying you need to go broke! Prudence and good judgment is still a virtue. You have the right and responsibility to provide for your basic needs and those of your family, including some recreation. Personal property is a God-given right but giving to the Church and to the poor is a God-given responsibility. Christ himself says that no one trusts a person who is dishonest in small matters. It is wise to avoid giving money to untrustworthy people if we can avoid it. There is more than one way to support the Church, but we all must support the Church.
For the sake of St. John the Evangelist parish, it’s future, and you my dear parishioners, I strive to be trustworthy. That’s why a summary of parish finances is posted in the Church and on the website today. It’s why the collection is put in tamper-proof bags and kept in a safe under a surveillance camera. It’s why no one is ever alone with the money. And now, you even have the option to give online through our website.
For the sake of trust, I strive to be frugal with what our community offers. I’ve cut expenses in food, housekeeping, cable, internet, phones, and air conditioning in the rectory. As a diocesan priest, I do receive a salary, but like any other Catholic I give part of that salary to the Church parish. I can’t ask you to do anything I’m not willing to do so I give 10% or more, usually in money though sometimes in purchases. The method and amount of your support is up to your prayerful discernment.
Consider carefully what God has done for you. Consider carefully your capability and God’s promise to provide. If you want this parish to continue to offer what it has in the past, then something has to increase: people, generosity or both. If you want us to offer more along the lines of anything I listed at the beginning, then all of us have to be generous. Above all else keep Christ’s own words close to your heart: “You cannot serve both God and mammon,” but if you’re willing to trust him you can serve God with mammon, no matter how much or how little you happen to have.