Two Masters
Saturday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time
Read this Gospel passage aloud to the family
Luke 16:9-15 – Jesus said to his disciples: "I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. 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 God and mammon."
The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all these things and sneered at him. And he said to them, "You justify yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts; for what is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God."
(Parent) Reread this part a few times aloud
“The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones.”
(Parent) Read this meditation aloud to the family
It matters how we handle our little responsibilities. We build habits by doing little actions repeatedly. If we do good actions repeatedly (e.g., calming our temper) we will become stronger and stronger. If we do bad actions repeatedly (e.g., losing our temper) we will become weaker and weaker.
It is very important that we consider how well we handle the small matters we face each day. Do I pray each day? Do I apologize after fights? Do I get my work done on time? How much do I snack? How much TV/internet do I watch? How busy am I? Take some time to consider a small area where each of us is weak in which we could grow stronger.
As a family, pray a portion of the Rosary together (very short if children are young) reflecting on the Scripture passage above. (Optional: allow a brief time for discussion or questions from children concerning their thoughts and prayer.)
