Introduction: Today’s readings remind us that we are God’s stewards and that God expects faithful and prudent stewardship from us. They challenge us to use our God-given talents and blessings wisely to attain Heavenly bliss.
Scripture lessons: Condemning the crooked business practices of the 8th century BC Jewish merchants of Judea, today’s lesson from the prophet Amos reminds the Israelites and us to be faithful to our Covenant with Yahweh by practicing justice and mercy as God’s faithful stewards. He warns us also against making the goal of our life the gaining of money, whatever the means. In the second reading, St. Paul instructs the first century Judeo-Christians to become true stewards of the Gospel of Jesus, the only mediator, by preaching the “Good News” to the pagans and by including them in intercessory prayers, too. Today’s Gospel story tells us about the crooked but resourceful manager and challenges us to use our blessings — time, talents, health and wealth – wisely and justly so that they will serve for our good in eternity. We use our earthly wealth wisely when we spend it for our own needs in moderation and when we love and help the needy around us, for those are the purposes for which He has entrusted all these things to us.
Life messages: 1) We need to be faithful in the little things of life: Let us remember Saint John Chrysostom’s warning, “Faithfulness in little things is a big thing,” and the reminder of St. Theresa of Calcutta (Blessed Mother Teresa, canonized September 4, 2016 by Pope Francis), “Do little things with great love.” Hence, let us not ignore doing little things, like acknowledging a favor by saying a sincere “thank you,” or congratulating others for their success, or sharing in their sorrows and or offering them help and support in their needs. 2) We need to use our spiritual resources wisely. The manager in Jesus’ story used all his resources to secure his future. We must be no less resourceful. We have at our disposal the Holy Mass and the Seven Sacraments as sources of Divine grace, the Holy Bible as the word of God for daily meditation and practice, and the teaching authority of the Spirit-guided Church to direct us in our Christian life. We need to use these resources in such a way that it will be said of us, “And the master commended them because they acted so prudently.”3) We need to be prepared to give an account of our stewardship. We insure our houses against fire, storms, flood and thieves and insure our lives by taking life insurance and car insurance. In the same way, let us insure ourselves for the one thing that most certainly will happen, namely, our meeting God to give Him an account of our lives. What really matters, at that time of our Private Judgment by God at the moment of our death, is how wisely we have used our blessings during our life, lovingly and generously sharing them with others in need.
OT XXV [C] (Sept 18): Am 8:4-7; I Tm 2:1-8; Lk 16:1-13 (L/16)
Anecdote: # 1: Waddling ducks: Søren Kierkegaard, the Danish philosopher, once told about a make-believe country where only ducks lived. On Sunday morning all the ducks came into Church, waddled down the aisle, waddled into their pews and squatted. Then the duck minister came in, took his place behind the pulpit, opened the Duck Bible and read, “Ducks! You have wings, and with wings you can fly like eagles. You can soar into the skies! Ducks! You have wings!” All the ducks yelled, “Amen!” and then they all waddled home. [Jim Burns, Radically Committed (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1991).] No one flew or even tried. Friends, there’s just too much truth to that little fable. Using the parable of a rascal manager in today’s Gospel, Jesus challenges us to see that it is time for the children of light to quit waddling. It’s time for us to soar by wisely using our God-given talents and blessings for the welfare of others, thus glorifying God and becoming eligible for our eternal reward. May we be the people that Jesus praises because we saw something that needed to be done and we did it.
# 2: Returned overpayments: CNN reported that In March, 1994, the huge defense contractor Martin Marietta returned to the Pentagon some 540 overpayments, totaling $135 million. Of course, that was nothing compared to the $1.4 billion in overpayments various defense contractors returned to the Pentagon in 1993. With a fresh reading of the parable of the unjust steward in today’s Gospel in mind, it is hard to read a report like that without wondering, where the truth is. Defense contractors do not belong to altruistic organizations. So why did Martin Marietta really return $135 million to the Pentagon? And if $1.4 billion in overpayments was returned in 1993, how much was not returned? The unjust steward in today’s Gospel parable was also not concerned with truth and justice, but with his survival by any means.
# 3: “That is the hotel I have just built for you to manage.” One stormy night many years ago an elderly couple entered the lobby of a small hotel and asked for a room. The clerk explained that because there were three conventions in town, the hotel was filled. He added, “But I can’t send a nice couple like you out in the rain at 1 o’clock in the morning. Would you be willing to sleep in my room?” The couple hesitated, but the clerk insisted. The next morning when the man paid his bill, he told the clerk, “You’re the kind of manager who should be the boss of the best hotel in the United States. Maybe someday I’ll build one for you.” The clerk smiled, amused by the older man’s “little joke.” A few years passed. Then one day the clerk received a letter from the elderly man recalling that stormy night and asking him to come to New York for a visit. A round-trip ticket was enclosed. When the clerk arrived, his host took him to the corner of 5th Avenue and 34th Street, where a grand new building stood. “That,” explained the elderly man, “is the hotel I have just built for you to manage.” “You must be joking,” the clerk said. “I most assuredly am not,” came the reply. “Who–who are you?” stammered the clerk. The man answered, “My name is William Waldorf Astor.” That hotel was the original Waldorf-Astoria, one of the most magnificent hotels in New York. The young clerk who became its first manager was George C. Boldt. The story reinforces today’s Gospel message about the prudent use of the earthly treasures and resources we have been given by God. If we use God‘s loving gifts to us to love others and help them in their need, He will be our reward in Heaven. ()
Introduction: All three selections for today’s liturgy pertain to the subject of faithful stewardship. Condemning the crooked business practices of the 8th century BC Jewish merchants of Judea, the prophet Amos, in the first reading, reminds the Israelites, and us, to be faithful to our Covenant with Yahweh by practicing justice and mercy as God’s faithful stewards. He warns us against having the making of money as the goal of our life, whatever the means. The second reading, I Timothy, instructs the first-century Judeo-Christians to become true stewards of the Gospel of Jesus, the only mediator between God and man, by preaching the “Good News” to the pagans and including them in intercessory prayers. Today’s Gospel challenges us to use our blessings — time, talents, health and wealth — wisely and diligently so that they will serve for our good in eternity. We are on the right road only if we use our earthly wealth to attain our Heavenly goal.
First reading: Amos 8:4-7: Amos was the first of the writing prophets during the 38-year span when Uzziah was king of Judah (781-743 BC). For a long time, the territory we call the Holy Land was divided between a Northern Kingdom called Israel with Samaria as its capital, and a Southern Kingdom known as Judah with Jerusalem as its capital. In the 8th century BC, Israel was prosperous only for the upper classes and the corrupt business community which exploited the poor people. In those days, commercial activities were forbidden on the Sabbath and during days around the New Moon. Not only did these predatory merchants resent the Sabbath rest as a loss of profits, but their business methods were completely unscrupulous. The businessmen wanted those sacred periods to be over so that they might get more time to make profits by their dishonest business practices like charging high prices, using false weights and measures, and selling poor quality merchandise. Hence, Amos prophesied the downfall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel for its lack of Covenant morality. In the Covenant relationship between God and his people, loving compassion and concern for the unfortunate, honesty and integrity were supposed to be distinguishing qualities in the community. Amos unequivocally declared that God would not tolerate the abuse of the weak.
Second reading: I Timothy 2: 1-8: Paul struggled to get Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians to respect each other and not to compartmentalize God’s salvation. Hence, in today’s second reading, he reminds Timothy (a community leader equivalent to a bishop), and his congregation that God’s concern extends to all people, not just themselves. Some scholars think that some early Jewish Christians might have refused to pray for pagans, and that this passage was intended to correct that mistake. In the passage, Paul insists again that he has been called to take the Gospel to all peoples. He requests prayers for civil rulers and those in high positions, so that all people may live a quiet and peaceable life and come to salvation through the one mediator, Christ Jesus. This teaching is reflected in our modern Prayer of the Faithful, which should embrace the needs of the whole world, not just those of the Church.
Exegesis: A strange parable: The parable of the crooked steward or dishonest manager has shocked good Church people for centuries. St. Augustine said, “I can’t believe that this story came from the lips of our Lord.” Jesus tells a paradoxical story about the steward (manager), of the estate of a rich absentee landlord. The steward was an out-and-out rascal. But his boss praised him for his rascality because he acted with foresight. Facing the coming return of his master and an audit of his accounts, the steward cleverly converted the debtors of his master into his own debtors. He bought “friends” with his master’s money, and used these “friends” to secure a means of livelihood for the rapidly and certainly approaching point when he would be dismissed (for his previous embezzlement). In Luke’s account there are four morals drawn from the story to unfold its meaning. The parable advises us to take inventory of the resources placed in our charge: time, talents, opportunities, health, intelligence, education, and other advantages. It also challenges us to use these resources wisely so that they will serve for our good in eternity.
Lessons of the parable as presented by Luke: 1. Let the children of light acquire the prudence of the children of this world (verse 8). The steward in the parable was a dishonest rascal who had been put in charge of his master’s estate. His master was probably a Palestinian landlord residing in a large city. When caught red-handed for misappropriation of profits, the steward cleverly falsified the entries in the account books so that the debtors appeared to owe far less than their actual debt. The steward knew that when his master fired him, he would need friends. His dishonest plan would serve two purposes. First, the debtors would be grateful to him and would support him financially. Second, he would be in a position to exercise a little judicious blackmail to silence them.
‘The children of this world’ are the children of darkness who see and value only the things of this world. They live for this world, concentrate their attention on it, invest everything in it, give the energies of mind and body fully to it, and find in it their entire purpose for living. Christian believers, however, are ‘the children of light’ who see real, eternal, spiritual values as primary and regard temporal values as secondary. The children of this world regard themselves as owners, while true Christians regard themselves as mere stewards of God who view their resources as merely loaned to them by God. To the Christian, “riches” mean spiritual and human values. Our stewardship requires us to use our advantages to help others.
Obviously, Jesus was not commending the steward’s dishonesty. He was commending only his shrewd resourcefulness. The parable points out that Christians should be as prudent and resourceful in acquiring goodness as the steward was in acquiring money and making his future safe. Christians must give as much attention to things that concern their souls as they do to the things that concern worldly matters. In saving our souls and spreading the Good News, our Lord wants us to apply the same ingenuity and effort that other people put into their worldly affairs or into their attempts to attain some human ideal. In other words, our Christianity will begin to be real and effective when we spend as much time and effort on spiritual matters as we do on worldly activities, and when the Church uses the worldly business sense of a good steward in conducting its ministries.
- Invest temporal goods to acquire eternal welfare. Jesus reminds us that earthly resources will eventually run out. Hence, our material possessions should be used for the good of others, to cement friendships wherein lie the real and permanent values of life. This can be done in two ways. (a) In regard to eternity. It was a Jewish belief that charity given to the poor would stand to a man’s credit in the world to come. A man’s true wealth consisted, not in what he owned, but in what he gave away. The right use of wealth, according to Jesus in the Gospel of Luke, is to help the poor, the hungry, and the starving. That is the way that we make friends with God and please God according to this text. There are many people in our parish who live a life of generosity. There are many people in the Catholic Church who understand that God has given us money so that we can be generous to the needy, the poor and the starving. Thus, many of us are making wise investments for the future. (b) In regard to this world. A man can use his wealth not only to make life easier for himself, but also for his fellow-man. Perhaps he will fund scholarships for students or give to charitable organizations and missionary endeavors. There are a million possibilities.
- Integrity and fidelity are the true yardsticks for promotion and eternal reward (verse 10). A man’s way of fulfilling a small task is the best proof of his fitness or unfitness to be entrusted with a larger task. No man will be advanced to a higher office until he has given proof of his honesty and ability in a lower position. Jesus extends this principle to eternity. He calls us to faithfulness in little things because most of our life is made up of seemingly small opportunities to do good. Few of us can hope to “save the world.” Still, we can conduct our business in honesty, tutor a child, visit a person in a nursing home, or help a neighbor in distress and make a difference in his or her life. Then our Lord will welcome us with the words: “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.” (Mt. 25:21).
How we handle our money and our possessions is a test of our character. It reveals whether or not we are morally qualified to receive the true riches of Heaven. How we treat what belongs to another is a test of our fitness to be entrusted with our own possessions. How do we treat others: their name, their possessions, their time, their ministry, their feelings, their family? The answer will reveal our fitness for true stewardship. This is why Jesus asked the question, “If you have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?” (verse 12). While we live on earth we are in charge of things which are not really ours. We cannot take them with us when we die. They are only lent to us–we are only stewards over them. On the other hand, in Heaven we will receive what is really and eternally ours. Our Heavenly destiny depends on how we use the things of earth.
- “No servant can serve two masters” (verse 13). In the Greco-Roman world, the master had exclusive possession of his slave. A slave had no spare time of his own, since every ounce of his energy belonged to his master. In this saying, Jesus reminds us that, like slaves, we cannot serve God on a part-time basis. Once a man chooses to serve God, every moment of his time and every atom of his energy belong to God. God is the most exclusive of masters. We belong to Him either totally or not at all. As Christians, we are called to serve God first. We must not use money and possessions exclusively to serve our own purposes. Let us remember the proverb, “Money can buy everything but true happiness, and it can purchase a ticket to every place except to Heaven.” This parable of serving two masters may seem ironic. Perhaps, Jesus was attacking the Sadducees and Pharisees. The Sadducees cheated a bit on the Mosaic Law so that they might accommodate themselves to the Roman government. The Pharisees made a big show of giving small amounts of money to the poor. The lesson is that we cannot be nominal Christians, calling ourselves “Christians” and committing little wrongs while expecting God’s praise.
Life messages: 1) We need to be faithful in little things of life: Often we get so caught up in our work that we ignore the little things of life. But let us not ignore these little matters — things like dropping someone an encouraging note or extending people a simple, “Thank you.” Similarly, we ought to take time out of our workday to help others in small things. As Saint John Chrysostom said, “Faithfulness in little things is a big thing.” We may not be able to reach millions of people all over the world by satellite as famous talk show hosts or televangelists do. But in our own part of the world we can faithfully do little things to point people toward Jesus. Our future opportunities in the eternal service of God largely depend on our stewardship in handling the little opportunities we have had on earth. As St. Teresa of Calcutta (Blessed Mother Teresa, canonized September 4, 2016 by Pope Francis), used to recommend, “Do little things with great love.”
2) We need to act wisely, trusting in the power and assistance of God. Today’s parable gives us some practical advice. We are urged to stride into the future with confidence — not in ourselves or our abilities, but in the power and grace of God. The manager in Jesus’ story used all his resources to secure his future. We must be no less resourceful. At our disposal we have Hope in God’s justice, Faith in God’s assistance, and trust in God’s grace. We have the Holy Mass and the Seven Sacraments as sources of Divine grace, the Holy Bible as the word of God for daily meditation and practice, and the Spirit-guided Church to direct us. These are the best possible resources; we need to use them in such a way that it will be said of us, “And the master commended them because they acted so wisely.”
3) We need to be prepared to give an account of our life. We are all stewards of what God has entrusted to us, so some day we will have to give Him an account of our stewardship. We prepare ourselves for all kinds of things, most of which never happen. But do we care enough for our souls to insure ourselves against the one thing that most certainly will happen? We must meet God, and give an accounting. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive recompense, according to what he did in the body, whether good or evil” (II Corinthians 5:10). Thus, the only thing that will count in our favor is the testimony of those who will say, “Lord, when I was really in need, he gave to me, at cost to himself. He helped me along. He showed love to me, and proved it by giving himself to me.”
JOKE OF THE WEEK
1) Wisdom of the children of the world: The local Jewish Rabbi is out jogging through the countryside. He encounters a man with two puppies for sale. He asks the man what kind of puppies they are, and the man responds, “They’re Jewish puppies, Rev. Rabbi.” The Rabbi thinks that it is so great that the next day he brings his wife to see these puppies for herself. He asks the man to tell his wife what kind of puppies they are, and the man responds, “They’re Catholic puppies.” The Rabbi looks puzzled and says, “Yesterday, you told me they were Jewish puppies.” The man smiles and says, “Yesterday, they were. But today, they have their eyes opened and a Catholic priest booked them paying in advance!”
3) Trustworthy with dishonest wealth?: Abraham wanted a new suit, so he bought a nice piece of cloth and then tried to locate a tailor. The first tailor he visited looked at the cloth and measured Abraham, then told him the cloth was not enough to make a suit. Abraham was unhappy with this opinion and sought another tailor. This tailor measured Abraham, then measured the cloth, and then smiled and said, “There is enough cloth to make a pair of trousers, a coat and a vest, please come back in a week to take your suit.” After a week Abraham came to take his new suit, and saw the tailor’s son wearing trousers made of the same cloth. Perplexed, he asked, “Just how could you make a full suit for me and trousers for your son, when the other tailor could not make a suit only?” “It’s very simple,” replied the tailor, “The other tailor has two sons.”
3) Estate Planning: Dan was a single guy living at home with his father and working in the family business. When he found out he was going to inherit a fortune when his sickly father died, he decided he needed a wife with whom to share his fortune. One evening at an investment meeting he spotted the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her natural beauty took his breath away. “I may look like just an ordinary man,” he said to her, “but in just a few years, my father will die, and I’ll inherit 20 million dollars.” Impressed, the woman obtained his business card and three days later she became his stepmother. Are crooked women so much better at estate planning than crooked men?