25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Fr. Simham)

Yesterday I popped into my friend priest’s office just before lunch to call him for lunch and I saw him busy at his desk; computer on, eight books kept open around the desk and he scratching his head. I know what it is all about. I asked him  are you preparing your homily? He said “yes”. I knew that because I was also scratching my head after reading the gospel and all the commentaries for the Gospel.

Yes! Dear friends, today’s gospel is one of those parables told by Jesus which is very confusing, puzzling and often misinterpreted. I read almost twenty commentaries and ended up being more confused.

Today’s gospel has got a story and three moral lessons following it. There is a very thin relationship between the story and the lessons that follow. The more you try to link the story with the morals the more you will be left scratching your head.

Let us have a look at the story. A steward who is unjust comes to know that he is going to be sacked. He becomes more wicked and does more injustice to the master, betraying all the trust the master had put in him. He meddles with the accounts to make a future for himself. But surprising twist in the story is when the master comes to know that he meddled with the accounts once again he commends him for his prudence and ingenuity. A strange reaction. I don’t think anybody will appreciate a person who is consistently crooked and wicked. Imagine someone working in your house is found out to be dishonest and as you are about to dismiss him from the job  he steals many more things from your house to make up for his loss. Will you appreciate his vision for the future? How to understand this parable which is quite strange. Why did Jesus say this story at all? What was he actually trying to teach through this story. Most of the interpreters avoid the story and go to interpret the morals.

Friends, to understand this parable properly we need to know two things: The context and the audience.

The context is that it is a part of five parables that were put together. It follows three parables which present the unusual reaction of the persons who found their lost things. These parables are told to Pharisees and Scribes who were not happy with Jesus’ mingling with sinners. So Jesus tells them about the special place of sinners in the sight of God. He included the third character of Elder son in the third parable to represent the Pharisees who detest this love of God for sinners. Jesus tells these three parable to the Pharisees concerning the sinners. Now when he moves to the fourth parable he turns his face towards the disciples. Lk16/1 says that he  said this to his disciples, but even though he was talking to the disciples he was talking about the Pharisees. That is why the Pharisees react to his story and laugh at him (16/14) It is something like this. I tell you a story about a third person and all three of us know about whom the story is told.

The meaning of Jesus’ story is this.

Pharisees and scribes are the Big brothers; the stewards of Religion. They are the custodians of religion. In charge of God’s household,( for me it is not the world but it the Religion) Judaism and anything that is concerned with it. Because God promised to Abraham that he will bless the nations through them. They are suppose to manage it well for the good of all. But they are making it as a ‘den of robbers’. Religion has become for them a place of robbery or a means of unjust earning. As the steward is mismanaging the household these Pharisees are also mismanaging the household of God. Through Jesus God is going to remove it from them and give it to the band of twelve apostles. Till here the story if perfectly fitting. From here Jesus tries to tell these Pharisees what they are suppose to do to save their future. Show extra-ordinary generosity in dispensing God’s graces. As dispensers of God’s grace you were too strict or too unjust looking for your own benefit and burdening people. Now be merciful and generous, so that all those who received mercy from you now may show mercy to you tomorrow.

Then the master who is merciful himself to forgive the sinners and tax-collectors and rejoice extra-ordinarily when they return will also rejoice seeing you showing mercy. The master will appreciate your prudence not for prudence sake but for the sake of mercy you have shown. You as one in charge of God’s household if you want to get God’s mercy for all your sins be merciful yourself. Do what God will do when he takes over the household. God does not mind writing off all our debts. If you write off the debts of many whom you brand as sinners and tax-collectors you are turning the den of robbers to be a home of mercy and forgiveness. Looking at that God will rejoice and appreciate you. This is the lesson.

Jesus uses the story of the ‘sons of this world’ to teach a moral lesson to the ‘children of light’. Children of this world are prudent enough to plan their future, so as the children of light you be prudent enough to learn from them to plan your spiritual future. Lou Holtz once said “Life is ten percent of what happens to you and ninety percent of how you respond to it.” It is true from the view point of this story. The master appreciates the way the steward responded to what has happened.

The fact you are a Christian or non Christian, a priest or a layman or woman; rich or poor; practicing catholic or non practicing catholic is only ten percent of your life. How you respond to it is what God will look at and appreciate and honour.

God bless you all!

Fr. Showreelu Simham