SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2022
TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
FIRST READING: AMOS 8:4-7
RESPONSORIAL PSALM: PSALMS 113:1-2, 4-8
SECOND READING: 1 TIMOTHY 2:1-8
GOSPEL: LUKE 16:1-13
In the first reading today, prophet Amos, renowned as a prophet of social justice denounces every form of injustice. He mentions specifically, trampling on the needy, fraud and exploitation. He speaks against merchants who tamper with the measures to cheat and manipulate the supply of goods to create scarcity and raise the price of goods. We are familiar with this state of affairs and as disciples of Christ, who share in His office as prophets, we must stand with Amos and speak against every unjust system. We must guard against the evil that makes some impoverish others for their own gain.
Amos makes us ask ourselves, “what does God expect of a just society?” God wants a system that defends the right of the poor, the widow and the orphan, a system that makes it possible for everyone to thrive free of corruption that would deprive them of what they need, not just to survive but to flourish and attain their highest good, a system where wealth is fairly distributed. In the words of Amos, a system where “Justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an overflowing stream (Amos 5:24).”
In the Gospel, Our Lord tells a parable that can disturb us if don’t place it in its context; the parable of the dishonest steward. This steward was cheating his master and then, when caught, before being fired, cheated his master again by writing off some of the debts of those who owed his master. And he does it in a way that makes his master’s debtors accomplices and owe him a favor. In praising the dishonest steward’s ingenuity, Jesus takes for granted that we realize the immorality of the steward’s behaviour. He emphasizes and praises his ingenuity and effort to secure his future. He tells us, “For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.”
To cheat, you need a lot of wits and ingenuity, you have to be very clever. It is amazing the wits the children in the world employ to succeed in the things of the world. The worldly take more initiative than the other-worldly when it comes to dealing with their own kind. They will go to any length to acquire more wealth, more power or fame and the pleasures of their dreams. Sometimes we also find ourselves going the extra mile to seek for power, wealth and pleasure but find it distasteful to make a move to grow in holiness. How often do we spend a lot of time and money to look good and beautify this body that will decay and will not take extra care to take care of our soul that will never die? In this parable, Jesus is inviting us to reflect on our lives, and put the same amount of interest and zeal in the things of Heaven, to be holy and in the service of God.
At the end of the parable, He tells us, “You cannot serve both God and mammon.” Here Jesus warns us about the idolatrous power of wealth that can compete with God for human allegiance. Reflect today on any struggle or tension that might exist. Deuteronomy 10: 14 says, ‘to the Lord your God belongs heaven and earth with all that is in it.’ We are only stewards of the resources at our disposal. One day, we shall be called to give an account. True justice is using our resources in the service of God and our neighbour.
Happy Sunday
Fr Chidi Onwuka m.ss.cc