Stewards of the One Master

“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."

Luke 16:13

We are all stewards of everything that is around us. In being stewards we have to remember and understand then, that everything around us and in our possession is really not our own, but rather a gift, a gift that has been given to us to care for, appreciate, and love. All is gift, and we must use them as they are intended to be so by their Creator. When we are all responsible stewards, I believe, we get a glimpse of what heaven may look like — everything in harmony, everyone knowing they all belong to the one body, and everyone knowing they are held by the infinite, unconditional love of God, Our Father.

In our modern world we inadvertently and inevitably become servants of many masters, usually ourselves being among them. When we put our own interests and pride above all things, we become servants to ourselves. When we allow our ambitions to dictate our lives, we become servants to them. When we attach ourselves to others in an unhealthy way we become servants of another who is unable to give us what we truly desire, ultimately leading us only to sorrow and disappointment. Perhaps in all of this we really are trying to search for freedom. When we realize we really need only be the servant of one Master, not only will we have all that we need, but we will also live in the freest way there is, a freedom that is not of this temporal, passing world, but a freedom that can never be taken a way, a freedom that comes from God.

Brothers and sisters, as Christ told His disciples, no one person can serve two masters, we must make a decision. When we are tempted to choose the other master because of what he may be able to give us — pleasure, wealth, power, let us remember that it is only temporary. But, when we choose the One Master, all that our hearts truly desire will be fulfilled for we will be given true pleasure, true wealth, true power, true peace, true joy, and true love. When we choose to become the steward of the One Master, we will have God Himself.

Letting Yourself Be Found

“While he was still a long way off,
his father caught sight of him,
and was filled with compassion.
He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.”

Luke 15:20

The succession of the three parables of lost and found in the Gospel of Luke is something that has always fascinated me. A lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son, or really, two lost sons. In all three parables there is always the one who seeks and the one who/that is sought or found. In the first two parables, the sheep and the coin were lost and the one seeking stopped everything he/she was doing to find them to the point where someone might even describe them as foolish. Why would any sane person leave 99 sheep to go and find just one that got away? It does not make sense, but it does not have to. Perhaps because to this person, it was not the number of sheep that was important, but rather that all of his sheep was together. Just as with the sheep, God will always seek us out, but will we let ourselves be found?

Sometimes we do not even know that we are lost, and so naturally we will not allow ourselves to be found because we are not lost! It is in this state that we unknowingly stray away from God. We become so caught up with the world around us, being so busy and occupied with whatever it is that fills our time, that we fail to see how far away we have actually drifted, how lost we have really become. But luckily there is Someone who is constantly looking from afar, sending signs and signals to help us see the light in front of us, and ready to embrace us when we finally are ready to be found.

There will be times in our lives when we find ourselves in places where we do not find much peace or joy. Times when we feel lost, times when we feel we do not belong, and times when we feel we want to hide and be away from the world. We feel lost, a sense of not belonging, and the desire to hide because deep down we really want to be found, seen, and known. We feel these things because we were created out of love, created in, out of, and for relationality. We were made to be found. We were made to be known. But sin causes us to run away and to hide ourselves. Sin brings us to where we really do not want to be, and that is where God comes to find us. He comes to find us in the darkest of places and in the messiest of situations. God is the seeker who leaves the 99 to find us. He is the person who will turn His house upside down to find us. And, He is the Father who patiently waits for us from afar so that when He see us He can run to embrace us and welcome us.

Brothers and sisters, let us allow ourselves to be found because that is what our hearts truly desire: to be known and to be seen just as we are. We want someone to see us, to know us, and to love us. And the good news it that God already does.

Clothed in Humility

My child, conduct your affairs with humility,
and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts.
Humble yourself the more, the greater you are,
and you will find favor with God.

Sirach 3:17-18

It goes without saying that following Christ is not always easy, and it is especially true in today’s world and in a society where the “I” or “me” is constantly promoted. A quick rewording of one’s title on social media. Using a filter to enhance one’s facial features. Checking how many hits or likes one has earned. There is nothing wrong with being proud of one’s self, but when it becomes the only thing and most important thing you care about, then it becomes a problem. A big problem.

Humility is a virtue that has seem to gone by the wayside. A 6-feet hole has been dug, humility has been thrown down it, and rocks and soil filled in the hole. When one puts humility to death, one walks away with only their pride, and without humility to do checks and balances, it can go very bad. With pride taking the lead, selfishness soon follows along with untamed ambitiousness. That is not Christian.

As Christians we are called to clothe ourselves in humility, in other words, to put on Christ. Jesus advises people to take a seat in a lower place, at a table that is not close to the center of attention so that one may be invited to a higher place, a place where only one with a humble heart can go. This is not saying that we are to sit in the back of the Church — for many of our Catholic brothers and sisters! This place is a place in our hearts. Who or what comes to our mind when we do or say something? Is it “what will I get out of this?” or “how will this be beneficial to me?” Or does someone else come to mind, “what are his needs?” or “How can we help her?” Simply put, to take the lowest place means to put others first. This is not to say we should neglect ourselves or our needs. It does mean that in all that we do, we should always remember to love God and love others. To clothe oneself in humility is to seek first the will of God in our lives. For Jesus told us that if we seek first the Kingdom, everything else will come to us. It is only when we start from the lowest point will we be able to go up. Only a cup that is empty can be filled. If our hearts is filled with anxiety, our own ambitions and wants, how can we expect God to fill them? Only a heart that is clothed in humility can be filled.