REFLECTION FOR TODAY
November 6, 2021
By Fr. Andrew Ibegbulem, OSA
“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.” Lk. 16:10
The gospel reference above is one of Jesus’ series of maxims about worldly goods and the service of God. What are the “small matters” in life? Within the context of the above statement of Jesus, one of the primary small matters of which He speaks is our use of money. In Jesus’ scheme of things, it is the love of money, not money itself that is the root of all evil.
Many people live as though the attainment of wealth were of the highest importance. There are many who dream of becoming rich. Some regularly play the lottery or gamble in the very unlikely hope that they will hit it big. Others dedicate themselves to much hard work in their careers so that they can advance, make more money and, so they believe, become happier as they become wealthier. Others daydream about what they would do if they were rich.
From God’s perspective, material wealth is an unimportant matter. Money is useful insofar as it is one of the ordinary means by which we go about providing for ourselves and our families. But it truly is small in importance when it comes to the divine perspective.
One way to interpret the words of Jesus in our gospel reference today is to think in teams of our material and spiritual resources. God wants us to exercise good and trustworthy stewardship over our finances. Wherever we made be on the income scale, God wants us to live within our means. Since God wants us to be generous, we should look beyond our needs to the needs of others.
God wants us to be good stewards of our spiritual treasures. Think about your spiritual investments, the time you spend with the Lord in prayer and scripture. Do you have a good spiritual “savings plan” that includes guarding your mind and actions so that you don’t fall into sin?
Reflect, today, upon the fact that God wants great things from you. The goal of all our lives is to be used by God in incredible ways. If this is something you desire, then do every small act in your life with great care. Show many small acts of kindness. Try to be thoughtful of others. Put others’ needs before your own. And commit yourself to using the money you have for God’s glory and in accord with His will. As you do these small things, you will begin to be amazed at how God is able to begin entrusting you with more, and, through you, great things will happen that have eternal effects in your life and in the lives of others.
Lord, You were entrusted with the greatest good ever known. Your Father in Heaven entrusted to You the salvation of the world. Please help me to share in this task by being faithful to Your holy will in every small way. As I seek to serve You in the small matters of life, I pray that I will be able to be used for even greater ones. My life is Yours, dear Lord. Use me as You will. Jesus, I trust in You.