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00:17The economy in marriage, in the home. In the first session, we saw how God gives us the guidelines.
00:24He has a perfect plan for a healthy economy in marriage, and we saw how from the
00:31In a relationship, it's important to have the element of trust and communication to see how things develop.
00:38We'll be discussing this topic in the future. In this session, we'll look at...
00:45he
00:45The value of money and wealth in our lives. Yes, here's the million-dollar question. What is the value of money?
00:55Is it bad or is it good? What do you think? I think it's good. Well, you see, money has in our
01:03lives a very mysterious power and God knows it, God knows it, God created us. He knows that to the
01:12most
01:12Most of us like money, or rather, the goods that come with it. Who would mind?
01:20Travel more? Have a better house, dress better, work less. I think that in some way money
01:33It's attractive, we like it, right? The problem here is knowing how far that attraction should go.
01:41How far should that need for it go? Because money itself isn't bad, the problem is
01:49the end
01:49that we give to money. Look, it's sad to see how, and I think you've seen it, how artists,
01:58athletes
01:59Successful people, businesspeople, I don't know, politicians, you see how giving value to money that it didn't deserve,
02:11They have been brought to very low levels in their lives. They have lost things as important as their families,
02:21They have lost their health; how many people who were so ambitious have ended up addicted?
02:32They have ended up losing the most important things in life: peace and happiness. We see how many marriages
02:41They ended up divorcing over financial issues, and you realize how important that power is.
02:49that money has in our lives, to the point of giving up life itself for money. And we see
02:56how much
02:57Many people have lost everything and all they have left is money. It's sad, it's sad to see how at this moment
03:08When people die, they realize that their children only saw them as providers.
03:17We see families fighting over inheritances, we see siblings fighting over material possessions, we see how money
03:27It causes great tragedy for many people. And this is what Saint Paul tells us.
03:34Specifically, in one of his letters, First Timothy, chapter 6, verse 10, he tells us,
03:41For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have strayed from the path of righteousness.
03:52faith
03:52And it has caused a great deal of bitterness. Look at the word, covet. What does it mean?
04:00So, does the Lord not want us to have money? Or does He not want us to covet it?
04:07We need to look at the keywords in each of the quotes we'll be looking at.
04:13God's plan is for us to prosper, to be blessed with wealth, with material possessions,
04:20But let us not covet them, and let us use them in an intelligent way and in a way that brings glory.
04:28him
04:29and that we share it with others.
04:31He also tells us in his word, in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 25, verses 19 to 21,
04:41Well, after a long time, the Lord of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.
04:49The one who had received the five thousand coins arrived with the other five thousand.
04:56"Sir," he said, "you entrusted me with five thousand coins. Look, I've earned another five thousand."
05:06His master replied, "You have done well, good and faithful servant."
05:12You have been faithful in a little, I will put you in charge of much more.
05:18Come and share in the happiness of your Lord.
05:23I am impressed by this parable because of its powerful message.
05:29What the Lord wants to tell us is beautiful, because this parable shows us what God's economy is like.
05:37towards us
05:38and how we should use the goods we receive.
05:46Look, let's pay attention to the word that says, you entrusted me.
05:53The servant acknowledges that the Lord is the one who gave him those five thousand coins,
05:59which in other translations we see as talents, not as coins.
06:04And we see how the servant acknowledges that they were commissioned by his Lord.
06:10And they were commissioned, but what for?
06:12Well, to multiply them, to make them grow.
06:16And we see what happens when one lives that economy with the Lord.
06:24When one puts those received talents to work and multiplies them.
06:31We see how the Lord never tires of generosity.
06:37And what does he say to the servant? I'll give you double.
06:41You have been faithful to me in little things, you will be blessed and prospered.
06:47But remember, the Lord provided the work and the money.
06:54They belong to Him, the work is His and for Him.
06:58In other words, a prosperous job, a blessed job,
07:04It has to be according to God's plan of work, not yours, not mine.
07:09And what is a blessed job, a prosperous job, like?
07:14It's work according to plan.
07:17And it's a job where evil, it's a job where lies,
07:23It is a job where corruption is not accepted.
07:28Here, by multiplying those talents, by multiplying those blessings that you received,
07:34They are for helping others, they are for serving our neighbors, they are for serving the kingdom.
07:42I invite you to continue watching that parable and you will see what happens in verse 24
07:49with that servant who did not decide to multiply those coins and hid them out of fear.
07:58In the end, the Lord takes away those coins that he had given him, that coin, that talent.
08:04and gives it to the one who did multiply it.
08:07In other words, God will prosper us to the extent that we bless the work He gives us.
08:16And here we return to the question: is money bad or good?
08:22The Lord gives us all these talents, all these gifts; wealth is one of them.
08:28But we have to use it for good.
08:31And here I remember, we will remember, a friend whom we sadly saw attending mass,
08:41I was in church groups and I didn't take communion.
08:45And it caught our attention because he went to mass every Sunday and didn't take communion.
08:51And well, we were studying the holy scriptures and it was drilling into his heart
08:57That's what the Lord said, right?
09:00And once he opened his heart to us and shared that he had been in his job for many years,
09:07in which he was at that moment, who could not receive communion because he was losing grace in his work.
09:15In other words, he was committing a sin.
09:17What was happening?
09:18He had been promoted without any financial benefit.
09:22You have more responsibilities, but you'll earn the same.
09:25Then someone there suggested to him, you know what?
09:29It's okay, there's a way for you to compensate yourself this way
09:33And in fairness, because they're paying you less than you deserve, you're going to earn a good wage.
09:40He was stealing, that was theft.
09:43There's no other word for it.
09:45Corruption and theft.
09:46Then it lost its charm.
09:48What was happening?
09:49Now the Lord called him and said, "This is wrong, this money is not bringing blessings to your family."
09:56He earned a good living, but his family was struggling.
10:00They had problems with school debts and other things.
10:03He makes the decision and says, Lord, I trust you, I'm going to quit my job.
10:09I have children, I have a wife to support,
10:11But I no longer want to be in this job that makes me lose grace, that makes me fall into sin.
10:17Well, the Lord opened doors for him; he got a good job.
10:24blessed in abundance, in an honest, peaceful way, working,
10:31remaining in grace, in prayer every day.
10:34I went to the Blessed Sacrament, I went to Mass and received Communion.
10:37And his family prospered financially.
10:40The Lord keeps his promises.
10:43And it's very important that we make this very clear,
10:47Because maybe you're wondering, so what about people who have a lot of money?
10:51and that their businesses are thriving,
10:53They are the ones that God truly blesses, and those of us who perhaps have less are not blessed.
10:59Great care.
11:02God's blessings are far, far superior to the happiness that money can give you.
11:09God's gifts and possessions include money,
11:13but they include a much more beautiful number of gifts.
11:19You may be going through a difficult situation,
11:23But in the end, God blesses you.
11:26God blesses you, and we must be very careful not to measure God by money.
11:32This is not how God is measured.
11:35And here we have the risk of thinking that
11:42So, should money be important in our lives, or not?
11:49Money is a means, not an end.
11:53Work is for man, not man for work.
11:57We must be very careful not to give work a value it does not have.
12:02We know that through work we receive those goods and those gifts from God
12:08who are ultimately after the money.
12:10They are gifts from God that we receive through our work and effort.
12:17But be careful, work is not the most important thing in our lives.
12:22It's sad to see how parents have an idea of what I'm going to give my children.
12:29What I did not receive from my parents, what I lacked with my parents, my children will not lack.
12:35And often there is a risk of giving your children what you didn't have,
12:42Don't give your children what you had from your parents.
12:46Time, love, care, happiness, walks, fun.
12:53It's an obsession with working so much that often the end result
12:59family prosperity is lost.
13:01And it's because we give money a status it doesn't have.
13:07It says in Deuteronomy 6.4
13:11Money wants your dominion, but we should only have one master.
13:18And Saint Matthew tells us this in a very clear way.
13:24In chapter 6, verse 24 the word tells us.
13:43This, if you think about it, is quite compelling.
13:51If you give power or money to your life,
13:56You will inevitably end your relationship with God.
14:01And here we see it, we see it in the translation, where it says money,
14:06Jesus is referring to the word Amon.
14:10Amun was the Syrian god of wealth.
14:14So here Jesus is referring to a struggle
14:20between two gods who want your heart.
14:25Let's make a comparison, what God, God our Father,
14:30The one and only true God wants from us
14:32and what this false God of wealth and materialism asks of us.
14:40God tells us in his word,
14:43My son, give me your heart.
14:46The god of materialism, for his part, tells us, no, give it to me.
14:51God tells us, live content with what you have.
14:56And we all realize, the god of money tells us,
14:59always seek more, treasure, more, more, more.
15:03What does God tell us?
15:05It tells us not to deceive, not to lie,
15:08Be honest in all your business dealings.
15:11And what does the world god tell us?
15:13He who does not compromise, does not advance.
15:16You have to go above everyone else.
15:20We also see how God tells us in his word,
15:23respect Saturday.
15:25What is Saturday?
15:26The day of rest.
15:27It's Sunday for us, right?
15:29It is the Lord's Day.
15:31Dedicate one day of your week to the Lord.
15:34And the god of wealth tells us, do not rest.
15:37Time is money.
15:38The time you don't invest in your business or your work,
15:41It's a time when you don't generate money.
15:44As you will see, the ideas are completely opposite.
15:48What God asks of us will truly give us the happiness we need in marriage.
15:56Being happy, satisfied with what we have.
15:59That doesn't mean we don't aspire to have more.
16:02We need to prosper, take care, and save.
16:07But without feeling dissatisfied or unhappy, right?
16:10And materialism, that false God, tells us the complete opposite.
16:15Do whatever it takes to have more, right?
16:18And you'll never feel satisfied.
16:21Never.
16:22God tells us in his word, right?
16:25It tells us in the first letter of Saint John, chapter 2, verse 15.
16:31Do not love the world or the things in the world.
16:35If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16:40If you fill yourself with the world, there is no room for the Father, there is no room for God.
16:43We need to fill ourselves with God.
16:45Yes, it's very sad to see how we've perhaps given money a certain lordship.
16:52that should not exist.
16:55It is important, and Scripture says so.
16:58There is a passage I recommend you read, Proverbs 6, verses 6 through 11.
17:02where it tells us what the value of money is
17:06and what is the long-term value of money.
17:09Have you ever thought that when you get married it's for life?
17:15All your investments, all your expenses, should be thought about in the long term.
17:22There are many married couples who, in their eagerness to possess things,
17:27because they are leaving their happiness behind.
17:30They go into debt, entering a cycle of debt that makes them happy.
17:37And there you have credit cards, lenders.
17:41They're nightmares, aren't they?
17:43To get out of those debts at the cost of happiness,
17:47at the cost of sharing a break with the family, right?
17:51They have to work infinitely more, right?
17:54Because they buy things that were really out of their reach.
17:58So, be careful with debts.
18:01So we need to ask ourselves,
18:03This thing I want to buy, this is good,
18:07a house, a car, whatever you want to call it, a trip.
18:13Do I really need it, or do I want it?
18:17Do we really need it, or do we want it?
18:20What's happening?
18:21Two very important factors need to be taken into account.
18:25Money must be spent wisely and used carefully.
18:32We don't know right now, in these times of pandemic, we don't know what's coming.
18:37We have a good business, we have a good job.
18:40What will happen in a few months, in a few years?
18:42We don't know.
18:43It's a reality we were unaware of, isn't it?
18:46The world economy has collapsed, right?
18:49Arrested.
18:50We don't know what's coming.
18:51If we buy unnecessary things,
18:54if we don't think, what does God want for my family?
18:57I need to move house, I need to buy this car.
19:01Forget it.
19:02We need to think about the future, right?
19:05Not just in the present, but in the future.
19:08Not just to remedy tastes and needs that we think we have right now,
19:13but we will have it throughout the marriage.
19:16Well, that concludes this session for today.
19:20And I invite you to see us next time,
19:24because there God lists us in a clear, forceful, objective way,
19:31What are those six fundamental principles that we must live by?
19:35in order to have a full and prosperous family economy.
19:41Finally, I would like us to revisit a very important idea in the parable of the prodigal son.
19:48It is the Gospel of Luke, chapter 15, verses 13 to 14.
19:53Shortly afterwards, the youngest son gathered all his belongings and went to a distant country.
19:59There he lived recklessly and squandered his inheritance.
20:04When he had spent everything, a great famine struck the region
20:09and he began to be in need.
20:13He asked his father for his inheritance, left, and squandered it.
20:18What's happening?
20:19If you, now that you are young, don't really ask God
20:23What do you want for our family economy, and how they waste it?
20:27What will happen next?
20:29When those needs actually arise.
20:32Let's not have this sad experience of the prodigal son, shall we?
20:37The Lord wants us to live in his house in peace,
20:41Just like the older son did, right?
20:43That he always enjoyed the riches of the Lord throughout his life.
20:48Thank you!
20:59Thank you!