25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
St. Mary's Cathedral, Sydney
Amos 8:4-7; Tim 2:1-8; Lk 16:1-13
+ Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney
19 Sep 2004
If the parable of the prodigal son is the best known of the parables (the story of the Good Samaritan might be a rival) the story of the unjust steward is one of the most controversial, which still provokes many differences today among the commentators.
It is also controversial for another reason because it is explaining Jesus’ attitude to money, that tainted thing, and His scepticism about riches. Some gospel passages when they are read on Sunday regularly provoke a reaction and stimulate thought, because they challenge our customary ways of thinking. A few weeks ago we had that passage about loving God and hating our relatives. Our Lord’s teaching about the necessity of forgiving, seven times seventy times, is another provocation and today we are told to use our money to make friends who will welcome us into eternity.
Chapter 16 of St. Luke’s Gospel also contains the parable of the rich man who feasted every day and Lazarus the beggar who struggled on outside the gate, and is separated from the first parable of the unjust steward by a collection of Our Lord’s sayings and teachings.
There are even differences among the commentators on where the parable ends and the collection of different sayings begin. Did Jesus himself commend the unjust steward for acting prudently? Were the next four or so verses included in today’s Gospel reading actually spoken by Jesus as an explanation of the parable at the time, or were they placed there by Luke because they fitted the general theme about how we should use money?
The steward is described as unjust in the parable, but there seems to be no agreement on what he did wrong, just as there is no unanimity on why he was praised. Certainly his boss had discovered that he was being wasteful of his property. As a steward, or manager, he would have enjoyed considerable freedom in his decisions, so this is entirely plausible.
There is no evidence that he had authority from his employer to remit these debts. Another suggestion is that the owner was charging interest on these loans of oil and wheat and as this was forbidden by Jewish law, the unjust steward was simply removing what was religiously prohibited.
Yet another plausible suggestion is that when the owner loaned certain materials, he expected a certain percentage return himself and also expected his steward to add on a percentage for himself. So that he would have friends in the future the steward decided to forgo his percentage, leaving the owner to receive what was his due. It is difficult to see how this could be described as unjust behaviour, although it was certainly prudent.
While it is of some small interest to try to puzzle out just how the steward was able to remit part of the debts, this is not the point of the parable.
The unjust steward was not a child of the light, but he realised he was in trouble and he acted resolutely and sensibly to remedy his situation. So too with us.
Some people are impulsive, regularly tempted to rush in where angels fear to tread. Others are prevaricators, who regularly intend to do things, but put off the evil day. St. Augustine in the early stages of his conversion was a classic example of this when he prayed to God to make him pure, “but not yet”.
There is no doubt that the thirst for money and the possessions money buys can be very damaging to religious sensibilities. If this thirst becomes excessive, it dries out our hearts so that we become immune to the sufferings of the have-nots. Indeed mean people can slip into that category who are not pure of heart and therefore find it increasingly difficult to see God. A few will commit crimes for money, trample on the needy and suppress the poor by swindles and deceit just as they did in the prophet Amos’ time more than 2,750 years ago.
If money becomes the be-all and end-all of our lives, this is a form of idolatry which will also blind us to our obligations towards the struggling. That is why we have our St. Vincent de Paul groups in nearly every parish; why we have our Caritas appeals for relief and development overseas. We cannot be a slave to both God and money; God or money must come first.
Whether we are rich or poor, young or old, the best insurance against becoming too mean, too obsessed with material things, is to regularly give for some good cause. If we are always short of money when we are asked to give, we should ask why that is so.
Our generosity should not be like Augustine’s decision to be pure; not now, later. We should be generous now and regularly.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
