Mastering our service

The Gospel of Luke from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today brings us close to the tension between the use and proper treatment of wealth, especially that of others, and the declaration of Jesus that we cannot serve two masters; "God and wealth". The conclusion of the Gospel passage today reminds us that the thinking of God and people are not the same. The psalmist positions humanity in the proper role of praising and proclaiming thanksgiving for the mighty acts of God which we witness daily. Does this vast difference in power and impact on the universe take away our responsibilities for wealth management?  The "prosperity gospel" may require professional wealth management as a prudent action to maximize our ROI!  One danger may be that the object becomes the "best return" on our financial investment rather than the investment in the love of people which is the work of God. The letter to the Romans which concludes with the passage today praises the action of God through the obedience of faith to send those proclaiming the Good News to the Gentiles who, according to religious authorities, were not the chosen ones. The action plan for using our time, treasure and talent needs to be exercised through trusting our faith in our relationship with Jesus through the resonance of our indwelling Spirit with the Spirit of God to use our resources in the service of one Master.