25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Sunday 18th September 2016)
True freedom is knowing that we are loved by God – (Luke 16:1-13)
“No servant can be the slave of two masters”. I’m sure a lot of people today would question if this statement still holds any relevance. “I’m not a servant and I don’t consider myself to be the slave of any master!” This would be a common reaction in the modern world where “freedom” is held as one of life’s most important values. We treasure our independence and reject anything that might stand in the way of human rights. But just how free are we? We might not like the idea of being a servant, but are we really our own masters?
The person who accepts God also accepts the fact that we are not the one’s in the driving seat. Sometimes, if we are lucky, it may appear as if everything we had ever wanted in life is coming together in perfect order. Those moments, however, are rare. Most of the time we struggle to keep things together and we are often left to deal with issues that arise beyond our control. The saints had absolute confidence in God and trusted even when it seemed like everything was falling apart. To have this kind of faith, however, is not easy. There will always be the temptation to take control of everything in our own way and on our own terms. Taking things into our own hands, however, usually means removing the hand of God.
Jesus reminds us that the kind of freedom which the world offers is not true freedom. No doubt, money can offer a certain amount of power and security. Even if money can’t solve every problem, it appears to at least offer some form of temporary escape. But this, of course, can only go so far. No matter how much money a person has there will always be room in the bank account for more. The more money a person seeks, the more they serve a faceless god. Without even realising it, the person becomes enslaved. It’s a sad contradiction that so many people believe they are free when in actual fact they are serving an empty god whom they never even knew existed.
The idea that we can become our own masters is dangerously deceptive. Jesus is quite clear that there can be no middle ground: either a person is a servant of God or a slave to money. The person who opts to do things their own way inevitably fall into the “money trap”. On the other hand, those who accept God as their Master are accepting their all powerful Father who loved them into existence. God may not always give us all that we want, but in His way, and on His terms, God provides us with all that we need. Knowing that we are loved by God is what truly sets us free, and this is a freedom that money simply cannot buy.
Fr. Colm Mannion O.P.