Saturday of Week 31 of Ordinary Time – Gospel

Commentary on Luke 16:9-15

Yesterday we saw Jesus give the example of a corrupt, but astute manager who took effective steps to guarantee his future employment. Today he goes on to warn us about our own use of material things.

We are to use “dishonest wealth” in such a way that we “make friends” for ourselves (our most important friend being God!). When this approach fails us (as it ultimately will), we hope that a “welcome…into the eternal homes” will be ours. We are reminded of how the crafty steward in the parable ensured his future.

In the mind of Luke, the friends we should be making are the poor and needy, who will be on our side before God’s judgement seat because we had “invested” our wealth in them. As we read in Matthew:

…I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me. (Matt 25:40)

Earlier we saw a good example of a man who had made so much money out of his harvest that he sat back to enjoy the rest of his life—which ended that very night. That is not the way to ‘make friends’ with one’s material goods. In one sense, there is nothing wrong with having a lot of money. Rather, it is how we use those riches that is the question:

Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much…

In other words, if we can be trusted with the material goods that come into our lives, and use them to build the Kingdom of God, to create a more just and equitable society, then we can be trusted with something much greater, to live forever face to face with our God.

If, then, you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?

And again:

…if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own?

And that reminds us that the material goods that come into our lives (no matter how they may have been acquired) do not belong absolutely to us. Everything on this earth belongs to all. We are only the stewards of what has come into our possession, and we will be judged on how we make use of it. On our use will depend to a large extent our receiving the one thing that will really become our own, the unending happiness that God wishes us to have in company with him.

That leads obviously to the next warning, that we cannot at the same time give ourselves totally to God and become slaves of money and the material. We saw that in the case of the rich man who wanted to follow Jesus. He was the slave of his possessions and so could not surrender his life to Jesus. Many of us think we can, and we try to compromise but, to give ourselves to God completely, we must become free of the lure of money and the acquisition of material things. It does not mean we do not have money or material things, but what we do have is ultimately used for God’s love and service and the love and service of our brothers and sisters.

On hearing all this, the Pharisees, whom Luke calls “lovers of money”, mocked Jesus for what they felt was unrealistic idealism.

There are many today who would echo their views, but those who have taken Jesus’ words to heart know that what he says is true. We have seen this in the lives of some people in our own time. And sadly, we have also seen the opposite. Some, with all their money, and fame and luxurious living, are missing something precious—the freedom to give and share their whole self with those who are destitute:

…for what is prized by humans is an abomination in the sight of God.

The opposite is also true. On which side do I find myself?

Read more

Tuesday of Week 31 of Ordinary Time – Gospel

Commentary on Luke 14:15-24

Today we have the last of four teachings of Jesus linked with meals. It was prompted by the remark of a guest at table who said:

Blessed is anyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!

It was very common to associate the future Messianic Kingdom with a banquet. Jesus responds with a parable which is a warning to his complacent listeners, many of whom probably smugly presumed that they would be among the small minority chosen to eat in the Kingdom.

A man threw a large dinner party with many guests invited. But when the time came and the guests were reminded, one after another they gave excuses why they were not able to come. One had just bought a piece of land and had to inspect it; another had just bought some oxen and had to try them out; a third had just been married.

It seems that the original invitation had been accepted, but when the final invitation came, excuses were made. In fact, none of the excuses has much validity. One would not buy a field and only then look at it, nor would one buy oxen without having tried them out before the purchase.

On hearing this, the master got very angry and ordered his servants to:

Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.

After this, the servants reported that there was still room, so they were given orders to scour the roads and bring in as many as they could find. Said the host:

Go out into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled.

The parable is a clear message from Jesus to his Jewish listeners. Many of them, especially the religious leaders steeped in complacency and presumption, had rejected the invitation to follow Jesus and enter the Kingdom. Some of them would actually conspire to bring about his death. Their place would be given to those formerly seen as outcasts, both Jews and Gentiles, people aware of their needs, i.e. the “poor in spirit”. There would be a special place for the poor and the disabled, people often seen by traditional Jews as people abandoned by God and buried in sin.

To go back to the beginning of the passage, blessed indeed are those who eat together in the Kingdom, but it is clear that only those who respond to the invitation will enjoy the privilege.

We have no more right to presumption than those Jews who rejected Christ. We too are being invited to go into the Lord’s banquet hall, but it is important that we respond to the call. We do that by our totally accepting and living out the teaching of Jesus our Lord. And part of that teaching is that we, too, invite and welcome into our community those who are poor, crippled (in some way), the blind and the lame—taking these words in their broadest sense. No more than those fellow diners of Jesus, our presence at the Kingdom banquet is never to be taken for granted.

Read more