The Currency of Communion

Voice over by Esther Han

Rom 16:3-9.16.22-27; Psalm: 144; Lk 16:9-15

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, as we near the end of the Church’s liturgical year, the Word of God directs our gaze to the ultimate reality: the eternal Kingdom, where our earthly relationships, purified and perfected, will find their fulfillment in the unending praise of God. Today’s scriptures offer us a profound lesson on how to use the transient things of this world to build up that which is everlasting: the communion of saints.

The Gospel continues Christ’s teaching on wealth with piercing clarity. He tells us, “Make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” The Lord is not encouraging corruption, but revealing a spiritual principle. “Dishonest wealth” (or “mammon”) refers to all worldly riches, which are fleeting and often tempt us to dishonesty. Jesus commands us to be as shrewd as the steward in yesterday’s parable, but to use our money, our time, and our talents for a heavenly purpose: to “make friends.” This means using our resources to serve others, to alleviate suffering, and to support the mission of the Church, thereby storing up treasure in heaven. The Lord concludes with the ultimate challenge: “No servant can serve two masters… You cannot serve God and mammon.” Our use of money is a stark indicator of our ultimate allegiance.

This teaching finds its living, breathing illustration in the final chapter of Paul’s Letter to the Romans. What we hear is not abstract theology, but a roll call of love—a litany of names. Paul sends greetings to Prisca and Aquila, who “risked their necks for my life,” to Mary, who “worked hard for you,” to Andronicus and Junia, his “fellow prisoners.” This is the “eternal dwelling” being built! These are the “friends” made through the currency of self-sacrifice, hard work, and shared mission. Paul’s list reveals the Church as a web of personal, loving relationships, sustained by grace and mutual service. These saints used their gifts, their homes, and even their lives—their true “wealth”—not for themselves, but for God and for one another.

This is the heart of the Catholic faith: we are not saved as isolated individuals, but as a communion of persons, the Body of Christ. The “eternal dwellings” Jesus promises are not private mansions, but rooms in the Father’s house, filled with the friends we have made by our charity. As the Catechism teaches, “The communion of saints is the Church” (CCC 946).

This truth offers us immense comfort and a clear path forward. We are not alone. We are part of this great cloud of witnesses, called to support one another. The challenge is to examine our stewardship. Do we use our resources primarily for our own comfort, or do we strategically “invest” them in people and ministries that build eternal relationships? Do we see our parish as a list of names, or as a family to which we actively belong?

Let us take to heart the words of St. Teresa of Calcutta: “Do not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired.”

Through the intercession of the saints named by Paul, may we be granted the wisdom to be faithful stewards. Let us use the fleeting wealth of this world not to serve ourselves, but to serve God and neighbor, building up the eternal and joyful communion of the saints. For to God, alone wise, be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.

May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.