Father Se Sat: What is the true treasure in our lives?

In his reflection on the Gospel (Luke 16:1-13) regarding the "Parable of the Dishonest Steward" for Sunday, September 18, 2022, which was the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, Father Stephen Se Sat—who is in charge of the Kampong Cham City Parish and three other parishes—shared the following:

When we think about the words "deception" or "exploitation," what do they mean? This refers to the way people do business; to maximize profit, they heavily exploit others, such as by rigging scales or using various tricks.

In the Gospel for this 25th Sunday, Jesus warned His apostles to be honest in their use of worldly wealth, and He further cautioned them not to turn this deceiving wealth into a god! For we cannot serve both wealth as our god and God as our God!

The first point: reflecting on the future helps us to examine ourselves—have we contemplated and prepared for the future yet? Preparing for the future is crucial, but not just for this earthly life; it is for our future in the next life as well! Ultimately, it is about entering the Kingdom or the dwelling place of the Lord.

If our ultimate goal is to enter the dwelling place of God, how should we use our lives in this world? Jesus exhorts us to know how to share, to be generous, and to use the wealth of this world to uplift one another.

The second point: our true treasure is God! And our true God is God Himself, not the wealth of this world!

Every day, we probably spend a lot of time discussing our family economy, our income, and what assets we possess. But when it comes to faith or God, perhaps we pay little attention or rarely discuss it! In this regard, Jesus wants to wake us up to recognize who the true God is over wealth, honor, and all things. It is God; He is the source of all things.

Therefore, let us use the wealth of this world carefully, knowing that our true God is the one and only God, who is the source of everything.

Indeed, we acknowledge that our lives today are weak; we face hardships and fears, and sometimes worldly wealth deceives our hearts into committing sin. This is why the Son of the Father, Jesus Christ, came into this world to save humanity by sacrificing His life to redeem us from our sins.

As weak human beings, or as people in general, we inevitably fall into sin alike. But we must understand that through this Word, Jesus wants to explain to us how to share. Just as Jesus Christ Himself shared His life with each of us who believes, He calls us to live in this world by sharing our wealth, using it with generosity, helping one another, uplifting one another, and being faithful to one another.

By: Roeun Sreymach