TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY
Amos 8:4-7; 1 Timothy 2:1-8; Luke 16:1-13
All the readings of today emphasize the virtue of
Justice. Justice is understood as a
certain situation of mind, whereby a man does what he ought to do in the
circumstances confronting him. Justice is primarily concerned with conduct in
relation to others, especially with regard to the rights of others.
In a larger sense justice is not only giving to others
their rights but involves the active duty of establishing their rights. It is
by the forgiveness of sins that God establishes righteousness, and this is the
supreme task of justice. In this context, we are called upon to choose between
God and worldly goods.
Today’s First Reading from the Book of Amos speaks
against greed. The prophet speaks for
the poor and the needy. They have only God as their protector. The Israelites were waiting impatiently for
the end of the holy days and Sabbaths so that they could proceed with their
dishonest practices. There were a couple of things that the Israelites were
doing that were drawing the condemnation of the Lord God.
In the Second Reading, we are reminded of our
spiritual obligations in accordance with the universal salvation that the
Heavenly Father planned for mankind. Paul says that all their supplications,
prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving should be made for everyone. Here his
emphasis is on the Christian’s obligation to pray for everyone without
exception
Today’s Gospel draws our attention to the parable of
the dishonest manager. At the outset, this parable seems to be quite unique and
difficult to understand its meaning. It appears as if Jesus is suggesting that
He approves the steward who has gain some amount of dishonest wealth.
The rich man gave the slave a great deal of liberty
and often full responsibility regarding the management of his personal
property. However, he was required to show a profit for his master, had the
opportunity to do some deals on the side. In fact, it was common in those days
for managers to overcharge debtors and keep the so-called commission for them.
The moral that Jesus gives his disciples is the
shrewdness of the people of the world which ought to be imitated by all. The point of the story is not that it is
acceptable to be dishonest so long as one is clever, the point is that the time
of crisis demands actions of some kind.
The Gospel reminds us to turn away from self-serving
attitudes and to turn towards justice. Jesus speaks loudly and clearly: we
cannot serve two masters. The disciple cannot serve God and wealth.
The lesson that Jesus is teaching us on this occasion
is that worldly people whose interest is in the things of this world are much cleverer
and more zealous in their task than the religious people whose interest is in
the spirit.
Jesus deliberately tells us of the ingenuity of the
dishonest servant who even when is on the verge of being sacked is able to make
friends in such a way as to receive their friendship when he is unemployed. The
Lord tells us how important it is to manage the wealth we have as we look
towards the attainment of eternal life.
We can clearly see that this parable is addressed to
us, we who are still living. For the sentence of the rich man, he for whom the
dishonest steward works don’t apply immediately: the steward still has time to
make arrangements in order to protect himself from what he can see is the
inevitable result of that sentence, namely the loss of his employment.
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