Am 8:4-7
1 Tm 2:1-8
Lk 16:1-13 or 16:10-13

The second reading today contains a verse that forms the basis for the lessons in the other readings: “There is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” It is the reality of the Incarnation that forms the basis for Christian morality, and in particular for our moral obligations regarding the use of money. The fact that Jesus is both God and man means that our relationship with God cannot be purely in a detached spiritual realm, disconnected with the things of earth. Rather, it is precisely through the proper use of the things of earth that we connect with our salvation and our God.

Hence, we recognize the importance of earthly goods, and the teaching of the Church that the goods of the earth are meant for all people. In the first reading and in the Gospel, the lesson is that people are more important than money. When we mistreat people for the sake of monetary benefit, we harm our relationship with God.

This is a core tenet of Christian social teaching. The priority of people over things is a theme that shapes a Christian’s view of economics, health care, politics, and every realm of human activity. Governments exist for people, not the other way around. Economies exist for people, not the other way around.

These truths form the basis for a culture of life, because it is only when these priorities are reversed that societies or individuals feel free to resort to violence against people – including the violence of abortion and euthanasia – in order to “make things right” in some other regard. But a rejection of the human person can never make things right. Only in the affirmation of the person do we find the path to God.