25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)

September 22, 2019

Readings:

First Reading: Amos 8: 4-7

Psalm 113 “Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor.”

Second Reading: 1Timothy 2: 1-8

Gospel reading according to Luke 16: 1-13

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Homily:  

Jesus wanted to teach his disciples on how to become prudent and wise servants not only in heavenly things but even in earthly things.  We have to learn on how to deal with human relationship and to adopt (makibagay) in their living, so that when we fail still there is place for us in eternal life.  He taught his disciples/us with this parable.  “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’.” (Luke 16: 1-2).  He told his disciples about the steward or employee who was entrusted by his master of all his business affairs.  The entire master have, he has a say.  But because of too much confidence to his steward, this employee abused the goodness of his master.  He wasted and spent his property in different vices and sins, and for his personal self-interest and gain.  When the master learned all of his doing, he was called and asked for proper reporting of all the accounts of his businesses for him no longer be working and managing all the businesses of his master.

Naturally the steward became sad and worried about his future for he was no longer young, he was not used to work with his hands and sweat.  He was already in advance of age.  But of his age, he never learned his lesson.  He continued his lewd ad loose life.  Also he never asked forgiveness and be given another chance by his master while he was amending his life and life-style, if he can.   “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’.”  (Luke 16: 3-4).  While spending his master’s property he did not realize that sooner or later his master will discover what he was doing.  And it was too late for him to save his stewardship and the confidence given to him by his master he lost.  To save his face from shame and humility, and while he was still in his master’s house and still have access to the records of the debtors, an idea came to his mind.  He will use them so that whatever happens there are people who will accept him.  He thought earthly solution to his earthly desire.  Instead of amending his life, he will use his capacity and accessibility to manipulate his master’s debtors.

Since he was still doing the inventories of the master’s property, and holding the records of loans and debts, he planned to manipulate the records of the debtors of his master.  “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 to fifty.’  Then to another he said, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’  He replied, ‘One hundred kors of wheat.’  He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note; write one for eighty’.” (Luke 16: 5-7).  He knew how to deal with people like him.  He changed the amount of debts of each debtor by instructing each one how much they may deduct from their loan.  It will appear that the debtors have gratitude and high regards (utang na loob) to the steward.  By doing this the employee guaranteed his future life secured and protected.  The debtors who had gratitude to the wise steward might accept him when he transfers his loyalty to them and they might receive him in their homes.

In this gospel parable, Jesus is different.  He praises what the steward did and he even recommends it to his disciples to imitate.  As the master learned, discovered and knew what his steward was doing, and he was amazed with the shrewdness and smartness of this steward for he found ways how to survive without losing his face and better future in the hands of the debtors.  “And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently.  ‘For the children of this world are more prudent (tuso, mapamaraan) 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’.” (Luke 16: 8-9).  The master of the house extolled and much-admired this dishonest steward for being prudent in dealing with those who likened him, the debtors, who agreed to cheat their loaner to pay less from the actual loan.  They too gained in the actuation of that steward, for they were the children of darkness.  While, the children of light, they were not wise and smart in dealing with this kind of generation.  They were told to make friends with dishonest wealth of this generation of prudent so that they too may become wise, smart and prudent in dealing with this kind of people, so also when they failed still they have eternal dwelling.  When they were driven out because they were prudent they still have eternal dwelling waiting for them.  

This is the truth and the lesson of the story.  “’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’?” (Luke 16: 10-12).  Nobody will trust us if we are not trustworthy of small matters, how much more with great matters.  Be trustworthy of small matters and the greatest matters will be entrusted to us.  Even what is already belongs to us will be entrusted for we are trustworthy of our own.

To add flavor to the lesson of the parable, Jesus said to his disciples and to us that, “’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 God and mammon’.” (Luke 16: 13). We cannot become like a Balimbing fruit; it has many sides with the same face.  We cannot have a good master and at the same time bad or evil master.  When we face the good master, we wear the face of a good servant, and when we face the bad or evil master we wear the face of the bad or evil servant.  We cannot play two faces (doble cara).  We cannot serve good master and at the same time the bad or evil master.  We need to choose, either good master or evil master, and when we have chosen our master, we have to serve him thoroughly.  Only one master we can serve totally, loyally and honestly, and without deceit, whoever he may be.  We can give all to our one true master.  Therefore, choose the best and good master that we can serve, in small responsibility or in great capacity, with all honesty, prudently and wisely, and smartly.