Reading 1
Am 8:4-7
Hear this, you who trample upon the needy
and destroy the poor of the land!
"When will the new moon be over," you ask,
"that we may sell our grain,
and the sabbath, that we may display the wheat?
We will diminish the ephah,
add to the shekel,
and fix our scales for cheating!
We will buy the lowly for silver,
and the poor for a pair of sandals;
even the refuse of the wheat we will sell!"
The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob:
Never will I forget a thing they have done!
Reading 2
1 Tm 2:1-8
Beloved:
First of all, I ask that supplications, prayers,
petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone,
for kings and for all in authority,
that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life
in all devotion and dignity.
This is good and pleasing to God our savior,
who wills everyone to be saved
and to come to knowledge of the truth.
For there is one God.
There is also one mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus,
who gave himself as ransom for all.
This was the testimony at the proper time.
For this I was appointed preacher and apostle
— I am speaking the truth, I am not lying —,
teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
It is my wish, then, that in every place the men should pray,
lifting up holy hands, without anger or argument.
Gospel
Lk 16:1-13
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 the steward said, 'And you, how much do you owe?'
He replied, 'One hundred kors of wheat.'
The steward 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 are the children of light.
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 both God and mammon."
Meditation: 1 Timothy 2:1-8
“I ask that … prayers … be offered for everyone.” (1 Timothy 2:1)
There are many forms of prayer, and as Paul says, they are all “good and pleasing to God” (1 Timothy 2:3). Let’s look at two forms of prayer that can help us lead a “quiet and tranquil life,” even in the midst of today’s rushing, anxious world (2:2).
One is the Lord’s Prayer. It’s perfect. The Lord’s Prayer proclaims the truths of our faith—that we were born to know, love, and serve our Father. It pleads for Jesus to come again in glory. It teaches us to pray that God’s plan, not ours, will be fulfilled in our lives and in the world. It asks God for his grace (“daily bread”) to help us make it through each day. It begs God for forgiveness and it urges us to forgive. It closes with a request for protection. The Lord’s Prayer contains all the ingredients that God wants us to live by.
Another way to pray is through the psalms—as Jesus did. Read them slowly as you begin your prayer, and agree—both in your heart and mind—to the words you read. The psalms contain both the words God wants to say to us and the words he wants us to say to him. It’s helpful to enter into the mind of the psalmist, and you can do that by asking three “R” questions as you read: Why and how is the psalmist rejoicing, repenting, and requesting?
Great saints like Gregory of Nyssa, Hilary, Chrysostom, Ambrose, and Augustine all preached on the psalms. St. Jerome also tells us that farmers prayed the psalms while they ploughed their fields, and workmen sang them in their shops. For so many people, the psalms provided a kind of spiritual rhythm to their day. And the same can happen for us. All it takes us that we learn to pray every day, “lifting up holy hands” to the Lord (1 Timothy 2:8).
“Lord Jesus, give me a heart of prayer. Teach me to stay close to you as I lift up my heart to your throne.”
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