Humbly submit your will to God (Thy Will be done) and consecrate yourself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through Mary.

Jesus said to his disciples, “A rich man had a steward
who was reported to him for squandering his property.
He summoned him and said,
‘What is this I hear about you?
Prepare a full account of your stewardship,
because you can no longer be my steward.’
The steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do,
now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me?
I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg.
I know what I shall do so that,
when I am removed from the stewardship,
they may welcome me into their homes.’
He called in his master’s debtors one by one.
To the first he said, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
He replied, ‘One hundred measures of olive oil.’
He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note.
Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.’
Then to another he said, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’
He replied, ‘One hundred measures of wheat.’  
He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note;
write one for eighty.’
And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently.
For the children of this world
are more prudent in dealing with their own generation
than the children of light.” Jesus said to his disciples:
“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. 
If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth,
who will trust you with true wealth? 
If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another,
who will give you what is yours? 
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.”  LK 16:1-13

Today, Jesus teaches us to be prudent in using wealth in time of crisis.  This can also mean to be prudent in financial matters.  We should not waste our hard earned money on things we do not need.  We save our money. We should keep a budget and make sure God receives our first fruits. Everything we have comes from God, giving back to Him on Sundays is a way to show our gratitude.  When we give money to God, He understands it comes from blood, sweat, and hard work. He knows the sacrifice we are making for that money. Do we stop to think about that when we put our money in the collection basket? This could also include being wise with money that will be inherited by one’s children, giving to charity, and setting up trust funds.  The average American has $40,000 in credit card debt.  This parable is for them!
Second, Jesus teaches us to be responsible to those in authority.  This would be God, our parents, teachers, coaches, our boss, paying taxes to the government, and law enforcement.  Obedience is the first step to holiness.  If we cannot obey our parents or someone in authority on earth, how will we train ourselves to be obedient to Christ?
Third, Jesus warns us that it is impossible to serve God and be a slave to material goods.  We must make a conscious decision to believe Jesus Christ died on a cross, rose from the dead, and gives us new life through Baptism. We must use this sanctifying grace to grow in holiness throughout our lives through repentance, changing our lives to conform to Christ’s life, seeing life in a completely different way.  What a difficult task for someone with a fallen human nature and the Devil roaring like a lion trying to snatch souls? Christ has to be the center so He can order things in your life. Otherwise, the wheels will come off and we will be going in a vicious circle over and over. We must come to Christ in the sacraments, strive for holiness, receive His grace, love, and mercy openly, “With God anything is possible”.

One measure you can use to ask yourself if you serve God or material goods is what you look forward to most when your work is finished. Another is what you put first when you have free time.  What you are dedicated to is what you will get up early to make sure it is accomplished. What we serve is what we spend the most time with.  If any of these are material goods and not God, we have work to do.  Me too! Where do we start?  Prayer in silence.

Today’s challenge: Make a budget even if you have little money and look to see where you can give back to God.  Buy a spiritual book instead of using your money just for entertainment.  Submit to God each day when you wake, thank God at each days end.  Work on one area of your life where you can do a better job of putting God before material goods.

Be a servant, become a saint!
#Christian YOLO

​Heart, Fight, Trust