XXV SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Lk 16:1-13
Since times of old, wealth has been considered by many as worthy of having and living for. When it becomes the supreme value, people who pursue it are ready to do anything that may increase wealth. For most of them, wealth is never enough and the desire for wealth is like a bottomless pit that will never be filled up. Wealth brings influence and power, leading the ones who have it to enjoy a sense of well-being, since they can have what their heart desires, satisfying all their desires. However, they are never at peace with themselves. They are filled with worries about losing their wealth and their conscience is always accusing them of ignoring and despising the others.
After hearing the call of the Lord, Amos, a man used to hard life as a keeper of the flocks on the mountains of Judah, went to Israel in the North, where he made a scathing attack on the wealthy men of the land “who trampled on the needy and tried to suppress the poor people of the country”. In times of crisis, they became the sole owners of essential goods, killing the poor with an artificial scarcity of bread to inflate their price. According to Amos, God does not want a society built on the exploitation and oppression of the weak and the poor. God pays attention to the way the rich exploit and oppress the poor and he will never forget a single thing that they have done (Am 8:7).
Hearing the parable of the dishonest manager, we are surprised not by his dishonesty, as this is very common, but by his cleverness in finding friends to welcome him. Nowadays, many people embezzle their company funds and open offshore accounts to secure a good life in their old age. However, what is most shocking is to hear Jesus praising the cleverness of this dishonest man. Surely, Jesus is not praising is cleverness in stealing, but he points out that he experienced in the flesh the precariousness of life, wealth and glory. From one moment to the next, he was left with nothing. And this experience of hardship led him to recognise how important others are for our survival. Suddenly he realised that having friends is more important than having wealth or power. In difficult times, all of us are forced to realise that wealth and power do not bring us peace; the comfort to our hearts can only come from others. Hence, Jesus counsels us saying: “Use money, tainted as it is, to win you friends, and thus make sure that when it fails you, they will welcome you into the tents of eternity.” That is, let us use the goods we have to win friends who will welcome us in heaven.
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