St. Alphonsus Liguori begins his sermon for today’s gospel,
“Beloved Christians, of all the goods of nature, or fortune, or grace, which we have received from God, we are not masters, neither can we dispose of them as we please; we are but administrators of them; therefore, we should employ them according to the will of God, Who is our Lord.”

My friends, let us know for sure that we, and every human creature, are only stewards of God’s goods. “The earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof.”  Therefore, everything we possess must be used according to His will.   Our position or station in society; our talents and skills; our intellect and our will; our wealth and possessions must be used to service God.  Every human ear, every eye, every tongue belongs to the rich God so that they might be used to advance His glory and save our souls.
 
But we know all this already; we just need an encouragement to be a good steward, a bonus vilicus,  of God’s gifts.

Towards this end, listen attentively to an excerpt from St. Alphonsus’ sermon,
“In the first place, the Judge (Almighty God) shall demand of sinners an account of all the blessings and graces which he bestowed upon them in order to bring them to salvation, and which they have rendered fruitless.  He will demand an account of the years granted them that they might serve God, and which they have spent in offending him.  He will then demand an account of their sins.  Sinners commit sins, and afterwards forget them; but Jesus Christ does not forget them: he keeps, as Job says, all our iniquities numbered, as it were in a bag.  “Thou hast sealed up my iniquities, as it were in a bag.” (Job 14:17) And he tells us that, on the day of accounts, he will take a lamp to scrutinize all the actions of our life.  “And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with lamp.”  (Soph. 1:12) The lamp, says Mendoza on this passage, penetrates all the corners of the house - that is God will discover all the defects of our conscience, great and small.  According to St. Anselm, an account shall be demanded of every glance of the eyes. “Exigitur usque ad ictum oculi.”  (Exigitur, to be forced out, exacted; ictum oculi, passing blow or strike of the eye.)  And according to St. Matthew, of every idle word.  “Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall render an account for it on the day of judgment.”  (Mt. 12:36)”

At the end of our life, the day of accounting, the stewardship of our whole life, the stewardship of all our goods, shall be measured and searched as with a lamp.  May we be ready for this day!

From time to time, I have cause to mention my friend and father in the faith, Keith Smith.  On a few occasions, he told me, always with a certain sadness, how he once stood in Padre Pio’s  confessional line for three hours.  When only two persons from entering, with pounding heart and sweating brow, he fled.  Keith knew very well that Padre Pio read souls.  As with a searching lamp, he could see your soul as if he were God; as with a lamp, he lite up all those dark crevices in one’s life.  Knowing this, Keith became afraid and bolted.  He always regretted that decision.   Here was his chance to make an accounting on earth, to prepare for that severe accounting to come, and he missed it!

Keith has since died, but while he lived he spoke with great admiration and affection for Padre Pio and I pray that they are together today. 

On another occasion, Keith related a private relation concerning Padre Pio and I mention it only as it services an encouragement to be good steward over the use of our tongue.

One day, Padre Pio and his friend, a fellow Capuchin priest, made a pact.  “If I die first, you offer  Mass for me immediately; if you die first, I will offer Mass for you immediately.” 

Well, it happened that Padre Pio died first.  Fifteen minutes later, his friend heard the news and immediately retired to the sacristy, vested for Mass and then began the holy Sacrifice.  

By God’s permission, during the Mass, Padre Pio appeared to his friend.  “My dear friend, did we not agree to offer holy Mass for each other as soon as the other died, where have you been? I have been burning for three days!” 

“Padre Pio,” replied the Capuchin, “I just heard of your death and could come no sooner.  Besides, you of all men, why should you need a Mass? You bore the sacred stigmata; you had intimate discourse with our dear Savior; you read souls as with a lamp. Why should you be purified?”

Then Padre Pio responded, “for one idle word.”

Then the Padre explained how an old lady, sincere and full of compassion, once approached him and said, ‘Padre, Padre, those wounds on your hands, they must hurt you so.”

To which Padre Pio, bothered by such questions and equipped with a rather sharp wit,  replied, “Well, the good Lord did not give them to me for ornamentation!”

And for that idle word, that remaining defect of his soul, Padre Pio was being purified by burning flames...

My dear friends, we too shall make an accounting of the good things God has given us... not least of which shall concern the use of our tongue... which no man can tame, says St. James.

Next week we shall continue this topic.