Sunday, July 14 : Saint Ambrose

“A servant cannot serve two masters.” Not that there are two; there is only one Master. For even if there are some people who serve money, it has no inherent right to be a master; they themselves are the ones who assume the yoke of this slavery. In fact, money has no rightful authority but constitutes an unjust bondage. That is why Jesus says: “Make friends for yourselves with deceitful money” so that by generosity to the poor we will win the favor of angels and saints. The steward is not blamed. By this we learn that we are not masters but rather stewards of other people’s wealth. He was praised even though he was in the wrong because, in paying out to others in his master’s name he won support for himself. And how rightly Jesus spoke of “deceitful wealth” because love of money so tempts our desires with its various seductions that we consent to become its slaves. That is why he said: “If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours?” Riches are alien to us because they exist outside of our nature; they are not born with us, they don’t follow us in death. But Christ, to the contrary, belongs to us because he is life… So don’t let us become slaves of exterior goods because Christ is the only one we should acknowledge as our Lord.

Roman Extraordinary (Tridentine) Daily Readings – rosary,team