The Scripture readings we hear at mass and the liturgy we celebrate at Mass are meant to go beyond what we do at that moment in time. The message we taken away from the readings and the Eucharist should influence the way we live out our faith each day. Yet, even when this is our intent, it may be difficult to discern as to what we are to take with us from mass, especially as we hear a message in today's readings that we might struggle to understand.
Today, the prophet Amos boldly decries the rich who crush and exploit the poor, yet, these rich individuals still claim to follow the values of the faith, even if these values are not supported by their actions. Then, Jesus tells us the parable of the dishonest steward who uses his shrewdness to plan for the future after being dismissed from his job. Money, wealth, and what we do with our earthly treasures are often addressed in Jesus' teachings. When we look at our modern world, we see many who struggle with their finances, from a lack of money for daily survival, to how we spend our money, save for the future, and share our treasures with others. How we spend our riches and resources should be intimately connected to our faith and our values. Perhaps the complexity of this issues is why many struggle with this issues and why Scripture devotes so much time to it.
Jesus praises the dishonest steward in today's parable, but it's not entirely clear why he is praised. It seems to me that Jesus is praising the steward for his shrewdness, not for his dishonesty. We don't know why the steward is dismissed from his job, but once he knows he's going to have to fend for himself, he realistically looks at his situation, evaluates his options, and shrewdly plans for his future. The steward reduces the amount the debtors owe his master on their promissory notes. He could be reducing it by the amount of interest they owe, just allowing them to pay back the principal, or he could be removing the amount of his commission from the loans so that they might in turn help him out after he leaves his job.
So, why would Jesus tell his disciples this parable? I don't think he's telling us to be dishonest or for us to cheat others in order to fend for ourselves. Perhaps he's telling us to use greater wisdom and shrewdness in the way we interact with the world and in the way we use our earthly riches. I think of how each summer, many of our parish youth use some of their summer break to reach out to those in need. They did so in the Alive in You faith experience in Mobile, Alabama last summer. This outreach is in agreement with how Pope Francis asks us to evangelize those around us with our words and our actions: to use our talents, personalities, enthusiasm, faith, and love of God to reach out to touch the lives of others, especially those in need. We are planning with the youth to have them get involved more with the Shower power ministry in inner city Jackson and reaching out to the Carmelite sisters as well.
The prophet Amos was representative of the prophets of Ancient Israel.The prophets preached that we are to reach out to the poor rather than to oppress them and exploit them. We are called to live out this message in their lives as modern-day Catholics. May our words and our actions be blessed by the Lord as we continue on our journey of faith.
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