BIBLE STUDY #151

TWENTY FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

September 22, 2013

Reading 1

AMos 8:4-7

Hear this, you who trample upon the needy
and destroy the poor of the land!
“When will the new moon be over,” you ask,
“that we may sell our grain,
and the sabbath, that we may display the wheat?
We will diminish the ephah,
add to the shekel,
and fix our scales for cheating!
We will buy the lowly for silver,
and the poor for a pair of sandals;
even the refuse of the wheat we will sell!”
The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob:
Never will I forget a thing they have done!

The Word of the Lord

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Reading 2

1 TiMothy 2:1-8

Beloved:
First of all, I ask that supplications, prayers,
petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone,
for kings and for all in authority,
that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life
in all devotion and dignity. 
This is good and pleasing to God our savior,
who wills everyone to be saved
and to come to knowledge of the truth.
For there is one God.
There is also one mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus,
who gave himself as ransom for all.
This was the testimony at the proper time. 
For this I was appointed preacher and apostle
— I am speaking the truth, I am not lying —,
teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

It is my wish, then, that in every place the men should pray,
lifting up holy hands, without anger or argument.

The Word of the Lord

Gospel

LuKe 16:1-13

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.”

The Gospel of the Lord

Reflection

Chapter 16 of Luke’s Gospel deals with the proper use of wealth. This weeks’ selection is Luke 16:1-13 which deals with Jesus’ fundamental teaching on the sharing of wealth. Next week (Luke 16:19-31) we will hear about those who love money and refuse to share.

Our Gospel this week is titled “The Parable of the Dishonest Steward”, in which a steward was fired for squandering his master’s property and not for any kind of graft.

The steward becomes concerned with his financial future, as we all would under the circumstances. He considers his options, and does a bit of what we would call today ‘social networking’. Today, we would probably send our resume to people we know, to companies advertising available jobs, and we would check online sites to make job connections.

Before I entered the seminary I worked in Human Resources for a company in Parsippany. A young man applied for a job, and with his resume he sent in a tape extolling his many qualities, complete with a dramatic voice and background music! We all enjoyed the tape and had a few laughs over it. However, it didn’t work: he never got the job. He’s probably a CEO somewhere now. He did get our attention, though. This is a case where shrewdness, however, didn’t work.

We need to understand this parable in light of the custom of that time of how an agent in the employ of a master would act and the usurious practices they would use. The master would hire an agent, called a steward in this parable, to collect his debts. The steward would add a commission on top of the bill that would be usurious in nature. This steward took the promissory notes and reduced them by the amount of his commission, to the actual amount owed to his master. He does in the hopes that one of the debtors will welcome him into his home. And, as the gospel says, “And the master commended the dishonest steward for acting prudently.”

At first glance it may seem that the gospel is commending dishonesty, but it is actually commending shrewdness, and the fact that Jesus disciples do not measure up in some way that is associated with the steward.

There must have been something going on in Luke’s community that he is trying to address. It seems that the people in his community are not sharing what they have with those in need. It seems that they are irresponsible in handling money. This steward, however, shows himself to be shrewd with things of this world, specifically money. He is using it to his advantage and to help others.

Jesus is urging his disciples to be like the steward in the proper use of money, namely, to share it with those in need. This is a requirement to enter God’s eternal kingdom. If we are faithful in handling “unrighteous mammon” as it is called, then we will be faithful in handling greater things. In other words, if we fail to help others, we will not receive true riches in heaven. Failing to share wealth means we serve “mammon” and not God. To serve God means to share wealth.

Notice that Jesus says to share the wealth, not to be penniless. We don’t have to end up destitute to serve God; just sharing some of what we have is good enough.

I also think that shrewdness encompasses making and accumulating money. Some people just have a talent for this, whether in investments, or in sales, or in starting a business, or in any enterprise where one can make money. We should never feel guilty for this because God gave us this talent and we should use it. Stephen King has written many books and is very rich; however, after growing up poor in Maine, he has given away one third of everything he has made to help those in need. Many people have benefited by his generosity. He is showing himself to be faithful in little things. Using the gifts and talents God gave us gives glory to God. Being stingy is only serving ourselves.

I have always believed that there are no true atheists in the world, because there is always someone or something we love the most. Whatever comes first in our lives is our god. It can be ourselves, another person, making money, careers, or, hopefully, God.

These things are not mutually exclusive. We can love these people and these things and still love God; it is a matter of priorities. If God comes first, our lives are ordered differently than if something or someone else came first. God informs us how we are to treat all these things and it can be very different than the way we would do things.

Some people give grudgingly, and only if they get something in return, like a tax deduction. I think it was G.K. Chesterton who said something like, “Christian charity is neither Christian nor charitable if it only comes out of our surplus.”

The problem is, the more we make, the more we buy, and the more we think we need. We could all do with a lot less and still be comfortable. We could all downsize and contribute more to charity. Like the bumper sticker says, “Live simply so others may simply live”.

Americans are the most generous people ever, but I ask you to stop and think about the last time you donated to charity. When was it? How much? When is the last time you increased the amount and/or the frequency of your contributions? Have you ever given without expecting anything in return?

Here’s something to think about: if every Catholic in America gave $1.00 extra per week to charity, there would be an additional $3 billion dollars per year to help those in need. I think most of us can afford that.

We here at St. Joseph’s Church believe in the spirit of charity to those who come to us in need. We try to give something to everyone who comes to the door asking for help. We can’t solve their financial problems or pay all their bills, but we can help a little. For example, we have helped people pay their mortgages, rent, medical bills, prescription drug bills, legal fees, utility bills, and we have given tens of thousands of dollars in ShopRite gift cards in my tenure. However, I won’t give to those who are greedy or to those I think are ripping me off. Nor do we give out cash. I tell people that I can only give them a little because we need to save something for everyone.

We believe that we get back more than we give. God won’t be outdone in generosity and we will be repaid 30 or 60 or 100 fold. This is one reason why I think our bills are paid, we have a little bit of money saved up, and we don’t need to do second collections for ourselves. We try to help and are being repaid by God for this. We get back more than we give – not just financially, but in faith. God will do the same for you.

While we need to help, there are plenty of scams out there and people who have no conscience and will take you for all you are worth. People will try to prey on your good nature and kind heart. They will come up with all kinds of sad stories to get you to give them money. Please don’t let people take you. If you want to donate to charity, there are plenty of legitimate charities out there that need you help. This is being shrewd and being good with money, like the steward in the gospel.

Sometimes a legitimate charity will include a gift in their letter requesting financial assistance. This is to make you feel guilty and send a donation. Many people will feel obligated – I got a gift, I should reciprocate. Please don’t feel obligated. I have gotten many pens that way and it doesn’t bother me in the least.

Once you donate to a charity, some of them will keep on sending you solicitations for money. The more times you give, the more solicitations you receive. As long as you keep giving, they will keep soliciting. Don’t feel guilty about not giving. Give what you can and don’t feel that it is necessary to give every time they ask.

I suggest that you pick 2 or 3 charities (or more if you can afford it) and donate to them on a regular basis.

In my wedding homily, I always talk about not letting the cares and demands of marriage, careers, and family responsibilities overwhelm them and become their top priority. I ask them to remember why they married in the first place – because they love each other. It is love that will make all the sacrifices seem worthwhile. It is love in the biblical sense – what we do for each other – that will bond them together to a point where there is no one or nothing that can break that bond. I think this is possible in every marriage.

It is serving others and giving to those in need, along with prayer and sacraments, that will help solidify our relationship with God to the point where no one or nothing can break that bond. I think this is possible for all of us.

Here is a commentary on today’s Gospel from the September 2013 edition of Connections, one of my homily sources: “Jesus holds up the model of the shrewd manager in today's Gospel not as an endorsement of larceny but for his ingenuity in getting things done.  In the parable, Jesus is asking why we are not as industrious or as dedicated in pursuing the lasting things of God as we are to the impermanent and far less important things of the world.  Our faith should challenge us to be as ingenious for the sake of God's reign as we are in our careers and professions, to be as ready and willing to use our time and money to accomplish great things in terms of the Gospel as we are to secure our own security and happiness.  Christ calls us to use the cleverness, skill and ingenuity of the wily steward to build the kingdom of God in our time and place. “

Be good stewards. The donation of your time, talent, and treasure for the love of God will give you peace and meaning in this life and eternal life in the next.

Fr. Phil

e j � d @�L @M to earn or merit the father’s love and forgiveness; it is there for the asking. He never asks his son for an accounting of the money or how he lived his life. He never asked him any reasons for his actions. When the son came back, he was forgiven. The only unforgivable sin is the one not confessed.

The younger son represents all of us. We sin, sometimes greatly, and we need to acknowledge our sins and ask for forgiveness. Sometimes we think that our sins are so great that God won’t forgive us. Every priest has had the occasion to hear a confession where someone confesses a sin from decades ago, and this person admits that they have confessed this sin several times. They have only committed it once, but have confessed it several times. This is a case in which something seems to good to be true, but it really is true. God will forgive anything, as long as we are repentant and desire to change. We no longer have to hold onto the sin, but we can let it go. Jesus paid the price for our sins

It also tells us that God doesn’t expect us to be perfect, but to try. We will fail, miserably at times, but we never give up hope. When we sin, we seek forgiveness, and try our best. I think that all God can ask us to do is to make an honest attempt everyday to be the best disciple we can, given our limitations and circumstances.

The older son is a real piece of work. He has everything, but is angry when his brother comes home. He reminds us of the side of ourselves that can be self-righteous, judgmental, and superior to others. We are like that when we look down on anyone we deem not fit to be a part of the kingdom.

We are all called to be like the younger son who admits his sins, seeks forgiveness, and tries to turn his life around. We are not called to be like the older son. His sins are different than his brother, but no less serious. He is jealous of other people’s good fortune. He is unforgiving and uncaring. He doesn’t see himself as a sinner so he doesn’t see the need for forgiveness. How many people are there like that? They look down on others as sinful, they nitpick others actions, and fail to even think that they have any problems. Like the older son, they have everything, but in the end they will end up with nothing. It is really sad to see people like this. The kingdom is there for them, in their grasp, but their smallness and pettiness will keep them out. It’s even hard to talk to them about it because they won’t believe you and they will be offended, wondering what gave you the right to say that to them. With some people, the most you can do is to keep them in your prayers and hope that somehow God touches their hearts.

As much as we are called to be like the younger son, that is just the start. After we turn our lives around, where do we go? We need to strive to be like the father. Forgiving, loving, nonjudgmental, caring, compassionate, generous, understanding, he is the epitome of a virtuous disciple. He has become what we all strive to be: holy. He is virtuous not just for himself, but to share it with others. No matter how his sons act, he treats them with love and respect. He forgives them and wants to share everything he has with them.

From the September 2013 issue of Connections, a homily resource: “In our "sophisticated" and complex lives, the idea that God loves us is difficult to grasp.  But the most important lesson Jesus taught, the central theme of his Gospel, is that God loves us completely and unconditionally.  We are never beyond his reach; we are never lost to him.  Such a realization of the possibilities for such love in our lives is grace.   Sometimes we experience grace in the support and love of generous family and friends - and sometimes we are the agents of such grace, giving and doing whatever is necessary for the good of another, refusing to give up our search to find the lost and bring back those from whom we have been separated.   Grace is the joy and fulfillment experienced by the shepherd who finds the lost lamb, the woman who recovers the missing coin, and the father who welcomes home his wayward son - and the realization of the love that led us to be found.”         

God is like that with us. He loves us when we don’t deserve it, he forgives us when we ask, he understands our needs, and gives us what we need to make it through this life in his grace and peace, and to be around the eternal banquet table in the next life. I pray that we all strive to be like the “Prodigal Father” and share God’s love with those in our lives. May we be Christ for each other, and see Christ in each other.

Fr. Phil