Twenty-fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Lk 16:1-13) “How Smart Am I?”

25th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Luke 16:1-13) “How Smart Am I?”

        We all say that we don’t like thieves.  But sometimes rogues become heroes don’t they.  Perhaps we admire their brashness.

        We have a certain genre of stories that reflect this whole idea.  Who can forget the movie “The Sting”.  Two men come up with an elaborate scheme to rip off some wealthy gamblers.  We’re not sure what the two crooks are up to, nor do we know how their ruse works until the last scene of the movie unfolds.  In that last scene a fake off track betting parlor is dismantled before our eyes.  In a few moments everything is gone.  We realize that has all been an illusion.  We can’t help but admire the two dishonest heroes of the story.

        Another story that would reflect this whole idea is the movie “Ocean’s Eleven”.  A group of ex-convicts get together to plan the heist at a casino in Las Vegas.  The casino is supposed to have a security system and a safe that is impossible to compromise.  But the people planning the crime have different talents.  All of them work together.  The plan they have unfolds like clockwork.  Again, we can’t help but admire their pluck and courage.  The story is helped by the fact that the casino owner is such a despicable character.

        The man that we meet in the Gospel this Sunday is an ancestor of the people we have just described.  He is the steward who is in charge of a rich man’s household.  He is incompetent.  He gets word that the master is going to fire him.  He could rely on his master being merciful, but instead he comes up with a scheme to save himself.  He cooks the books.  He forgives his master’s debtors hoping that they will take care of him when he is no longer employed.

        As we hear what happens, we probably wonder why the steward feels like he will succeed.  What is to prevent the debtors from taking a reduction, and then runnin?  Why do they have to take care of the steward?  The dishonest servant knows what he is doing.  He does not alter the books.  He has each debtor come in separately.  The dishonest servant does not give the debtors time to consider his proposal.  The deed is done quickly as a lot of dishonest things are.   He has them take their invoice and change it in their own hand.  The steward draws his victims into the plot.  In the end they have broken the law.  If they want the steward to keep quiet about their participation, they must help the dishonest servant in the future when he is in need.

        We ask, what possible insight can we get from this whole parable?  The master compliments the steward.  We might feel that the rich man should have been mad at the steward.  We could draw a parallel to the story of the prodigal son.  Shouldn’t the father in that story have been angry with his younger Son?  He wasn’t.  The master of the household was not mad at his steward either.  We might say this doesn’t seem right.

        We might think about our own time.  Today the newest type of thievery is internet theft.  We must really be on guard because there are all kinds of people surfing around on the internet trying to rip us off.  We get mad at them, but once in awhile we might also say, “I am mad as hell at being scammed, but I am impressed at the smarts it took to pull off the crime.”  And we have heard it said, “What could these thieves do if they used their energy to try and solve some of the many problems we have in our world?”

        At the end of this parable, we have a kind of moral lesson that is drawn.  In fact, Jesus seems to have about three or four lessons to be learned.  But we could boil it down to this.  If we put as much energy into the spiritual realm as we do into trying to materially succeed, what might we accomplish?

        How do we use our talents and abilities?  Most of us have intelligence.  A lot of us have material things. God has given us that.  How do we use our resources?  If we use our God given gifts for betterment of the world how wonderful that would be.  Too often we squander the gifts God gives.  Maybe we can do better.

Reflection Questions:

1.  Have I known people who have used their intelligence for the wrong purpose?  Have I known someone who has used their gifts for the benefit of others?

2.  What gifts am I neglecting to use as I seek to grow closer to the Lord?  What is holding me back?

Dear Parishioners,

On Monday night September 26th all liturgical ministers will gather for prayer and reflection at 6:30 in the evening.  The prayer and presentations by Matt Martell and Mike Maynard should last about an hour.  There will also be some general announcements for all ministers.

We now begin a new year, and it is important to exercise our ministries for the right reason.  I know my ministry can become routine and it can be a less than spiritual experience unless I take time to reflect and pray. 

It is a good sign for all liturgical ministers to come together to support one another.  We are slowly trying to rebuild our pool of ministers after COVID.  As we pray on Monday let us ask for divine assistance.

If you are not a liturgical minister and want to come and offer your prayer support, please do so.

May our Lady Pray for Our Parish this week,

        Fr. Mark