The question I have of today's Gospel is that, when Jesus says: "If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?" (Lk 16: 11), what is meant by dishonest wealth? We have just heard the parable of the dishonest steward. Is it possible that the distinction is being made between wealth brought about through cunning and deceit as opposed to that derived from hard work? In comparison, true riches, even if they are "honest," pale in comparison to the gifts of life in the Spirit, salvation, forgiveness of sins, etc. Maybe the distinction lies not so much in the material benefits but the attitude and mindset of the individual? The message, perhaps, we can take from the parable is: you cannot fool God. The world may be misled into thinking that a person is a fine individual but God sees into our hearts and knows that if we are greedy for money, regardless of how respectable we appear to the world, we cannot please God: "You cannot serve God and wealth." (Lk 16: 13) Let us be attentive to our attitude towards money so that we are not drawn into worship of a false god who cannot save and in whose service we find ruin. Greed, like other moral disorders needs to be purged from our hearts: "Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry)." (Col. 3: 5-6)
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