Sunday Reflections
25th Sunday of Year C
Why should the poor be poor
✠ A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke16:1-13
Jesus said to his disciples, “A rich man had a steward who was reported to him for squandering his property. He summoned him and said, ‘What is this I hear about you?
Prepare a full account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward.’
The steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do, now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me? I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg. I know what I shall do so that, when I am removed from the stewardship, they may welcome me into their homes.’ He called in his master’s debtors one by one.
To the first he said, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
He replied, ‘One hundred measures of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note.
Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.’
Then to another the steward said, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘One hundred kors of wheat.’ The steward said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note; write one for eighty.’
And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently. “For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.
I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones. If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth,
who will trust you with true wealth?
If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours? No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon”.
1. It was Bishop Helder Camara of Brazil that once said: “When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint and when I ask: why must the poor be poor, the call me a commonist.” But this question must be asked. God has given enough goods to humanity. If more people are poor it is not because God has not given enough. It is rather partly because making money involves a lot of inventiveness. Sometimes, this inventiveness could imply profiting from the poverty of the poor or even making more people poor. For example, for arm dealers to become rich, there must be war and insecurity. They have to create strategies for wars to take place otherwise they will be out of business. This is just one example. That is why St. Paul affirms that the love of money is the root of all evil. Today’s first reading exposes, through the Prophet Amos, the creative ingenuity of greedy merchants who are eager to sell substandard goods to make money, to rob the poor of their hard earned wages by supplying them goods that are worthless at exorbitant prices. (Am 8:4-7)The prophet sees them as heartless merchants without conscience. The problem of greed is not limited to merchants. It equally affects those in politics, public offices and government. For this reason the second reading appeals for prayer for those in authority (1 Tm 2:1-8). The gospel broadens the perspective further by giving a parable about an astute steward.
2. The gospel has two parts: the parable and it’s application. The parable speaks of a steward that was denounced for being wasteful. The steward was not fraudulent but his management of his master’s affairs was not following strict application of correct principles. When his enemies reported him to the master, the master readily passed judgement on him before ever giving him a hearing: “give me the account of your stewardship for you will no longer be my steward”. This puts the master in a bad light for basing his judgement on hearsay. The steward thought fast about his future and came up with an idea of how to use his last opportunity to secure a lasting friendship that will guarantee his future. He cancelled part of the debts owed to his master by some clients with the intention of securing a job from them once dismissed. The master discovered the shady deal and praised the steward for his shrewdness.
3. In the parable, the two protagonists were not figures to be imitated because neither the master nor the steward could pass as a model. But Jesus used them for the purpose of passing a message on how his followers should acquire and use riches. The steward knew that he can use a present opportunity to secure a future advantage. Here lies the message: how do the followers of Christ use the opportunity offered them by their riches to secure a place in eternity as the dishonest steward did to securehis future? How do we use our riches as stewards of God’s gifts?
4. Today money has become the second oxygen for human life. It is sought for with every force and initiative. It is preferred to social justice and common good. The love and desire for money is the reason why Africa will remain underdeveloped. Africa is rich in resources but subjected to unfair international trade deals. The rich Africa is further impoverished by african sons and daughters through bad governance and corruption. Why do we have bad roads? Why do we not have sufficient supply of electricity? Why do we not have standard health facilities? We know the answer. The money budgeted by government to provide the structures end up in individual pockets. Who are those individuals? The individuals are not pagans or atheists. They are practicing Christians and Moslems who actively worship their God. They appear to love God but they are wolves in sheep clothing. They are specialists in percentage cut in projects meant for the common good. They prefer to serve money than serve God and humanity. Today’s gospel sends a clear message against their hypocrisy: “you cannot serve God and Mammon.” There is no need pretending to be close to God while impoverishing his children. What shall it profit a man if he befriends God and hates the sons and daughters of God?
5. The parable calls you to order on different points: you must account for your stewardship one day. All the signatures that you put on papers must be accounted for. You must account for all the money you made, not only how you made them but also how you spend them. Jesus is clear in his advice: use money to win you friends so that when it will fail you you will be received into eternity. In other words, use money to do good. Your goodness will outlive your riches. Be generous with your riches because charity covers multitude of sins. Never forget that your bad decisions can make the poor to remain poor.
