A Homily on Money

Some years ago,

when my personal budget

was in need

of some personal attention,

I watched a presentation

by a financial advisor named Phil Lenahan.

 

If you’ve unfamiliar with Phil Lenahan,

he’s often touted as “the Catholic Dave Ramsey.”

 

I’ll always remember his opening statement:

“If you want to know the health of your soul,” he said,

“take a look at their checkbook!”

 

This came as a surprise to me.

As a life-long Catholic,

I’ve always carried my rosary in one pocket…

and my wallet in another.

 

In today’s gospel Jesus alludes to the connection

between managing your financial life and your spiritual life.

This connection is a recurrent theme 

in Jesus' teaching,

as illustrated in the well-known passage:

“Where your treasure lies, there lies your heart.”

 

Nearly a third of Jesus’ parables

---30% of his 39 stories---

use the example of money 

to drive home their main point.

  

Here’s a modern-day example:

This past week I encountered the loan manager

in the lobby of my local bank.

I told her I was going to preach about money this weekend

and asked if she had any insights

to pass on to all of you.

             

She smiled and, without a moment’s hesitation,

told me that, when considering a loan application,

the bank obviously takes a look at the applicant’s credit score.

                                    

But of greater importance

is the applicant’s personal character:   

Is the person applying for the loan
honest, dependable and trustworthy?
 
In other words,
will put the applicants put their money
where their month is?
  
This connection between personal character 
and financial accountability
made me wonder if there was such a thing 
as a “Financial Examination of Conscience.”
 
As you know, most of us 
make use of an Examination of Conscience
prior to going to Confession.
Most of these examinations 
are based on the Ten Commandments:
 
            Have I kept holy the Lord’s day?
            Have I honored my father and mother?
            Have I maintained purity in my thoughts, words and deeds?
            Have I coveted my neighbor’s goods?
 
A search on the Internet
quickly yielded a Financial Examination of Conscience.
 It went something like this:

            Have I looked down on others who have less money than I do?                   Have I judged others who spend money differently than I would? 
            Have I thanked God for being the provider of my income 
                and viewed myself as a humble manager of it for Him?
            Have I been jealous of other’s financial situation?       
            Am I driven to have more wealth than I actually need?     
            Given my responsibilities and state in life,  have I been as                                  generous as I am able? 
 
In today's gospel passage
Jesus notes that folks concerned with the things of this world
tend to be more diligent
than those who focus on the world to come.
 
Maybe it’s time for you and I
to bring these two realms together.

Maybe it’s time
to start putting our rosaries and our wallets…
in the same pocket.