Sep 24, 2007 / 08:56 am
On Sunday morning, Pope Benedict XVI paid a visit to Velletri, Italy where he presided over Mass and gave a homily on the Gospel of the dishonest steward. The Pope told his listeners that, fundamentally, life is always a choice between good and evil, between God and Satan.
"In truth," he told the several thousand faithful who had gathered to hear him, "life is always a choice: between faithfulness and unfaithfulness, between selfishness and altruism, between good and evil. The end of this particular Gospel passage is incisive and authoritative: no servant can serve two masters," which in the final analysis means "you cannot serve God and wealth."
The Holy Father drew a further conclusion from the Gospel by connecting the use or misuse of material goods to its effects on the environment and our fellow men.
"A fundamental decision is then necessary, the choice between the logic of profit as the ultimate criteria for our actions and the logic of sharing and solidarity. If the logic of profit prevails, the imbalance between poor and rich increases, as does the ruinous exploitation of the planet.” “When, on the other hand, the logic of sharing and solidarity prevails it is possible to alter and redirect our course towards equal development and the common good of everyone. Ultimately it is a decision between selfishness and love, between justice and dishonesty, ... between God and Satan.”