The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to be clever about our commitment to Christ as we consciously decide to act with love and inclusion.
Compassion includes
The reading from the Letter of Paul to the Philippians sets the expectation that we be conformed to the body of Jesus' glory.
* [3:17–21] Paul and those who live a life centered in Christ, envisaging both his suffering and resurrection, provide a model that is the opposite of opponents who reject Christ’s cross (cf. 1 Cor 1:23).1
Psalm 122 is a song of Praise and Prayer for Jerusalem.
* [Psalm 122] A song of Zion, sung by pilgrims obeying the law to visit Jerusalem three times on a journey. The singer anticipates joining the procession into the city (Ps 122:1–3). Jerusalem is a place of encounter, where the people praise God (Ps 122:4) and hear the divine justice mediated by the king (Ps 122:5). The very buildings bespeak God’s power (cf. Ps 48:13–15). May the grace of this place transform the people’s lives (Ps 122:6–9)!2
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus focuses on our lack of cleverness through the parable of the dishonest manager.
* [16:1–8a] The parable of the dishonest steward has to be understood in the light of the Palestinian custom of agents acting on behalf of their masters and the usurious practices common to such agents. The dishonesty of the steward consisted in the squandering of his master’s property (Lk 16:1) and not in any subsequent graft. The master commends the dishonest steward who has forgone his own usurious commission on the business transaction by having the debtors write new notes that reflected only the real amount owed the master (i.e., minus the steward’s profit). The dishonest steward acts in this way in order to ingratiate himself with the debtors because he knows he is being dismissed from his position (Lk 16:3). The parable, then, teaches the prudent use of one’s material goods in light of an imminent crisis.3
Tom Purcell’s prayer today is for the grace of detachment, to be grateful for the material wealth and gifts we have accumulated without being distracted by them, and to be able to freely and generously relinquish them in the future as he travels on the next steps in his journey.
I am at the point in my life and career where I am inexorably moving closer to retirement (my wife already has). I feel the uncertainty of having “enough” for us to be comfortable and relatively worry-free during these coming years. Having more is almost always better than not having enough, especially when contemplating giving up a job after 45 years. It is so easy to be moved by that reality than on the call from God and from Jesus to look beyond the immediate and focus on the eternal. It is easy to be tempted to be less generous than in the past. I don’t think of our retirement assets and other accumulations as “dishonest” wealth. But reflecting on today’s passages, and those that follow it in Luke 16, can certainly frame the perspective in a different light.4
Don Schwager quotes “Jesus recommends the foresight, prudence, and ingenuity of the steward,” by Saint Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Why did the Lord Jesus Christ present this parable to us? He surely did not approve of that cheat of a servant who cheated his master, stole from him and did not make it up from his own pocket. On top of that, he also did some extra pilfering. He caused his master further loss, in order to prepare a little nest of quiet and security for himself after he lost his job. Why did the Lord set this before us? It is not because that servant cheated but because he exercised foresight for the future. When even a cheat is praised for his ingenuity, Christians who make no such provision blush. I mean, this is what he added, 'Behold, the children of this age are more prudent than the children of light.' They perpetrate frauds in order to secure their future. In what life, after all, did that steward insure himself like that? What one was he going to quit when he bowed to his master's decision? He was insuring himself for a life that was going to end. Would you not insure yourself for eternal life?" (excerpt from 359A.10.)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Philippians 3:17–4:1 notes that St. Paul offers the Philippians (and us) directions to keep us on course with the Lord. Like a map, they offer us facts that will keep us from making a wrong turn.
These facts, says St. Paul, will keep you on the right path. Remind yourself of them daily. Recall them when you find yourself preoccupied with “earthly things” like finances, possessions, or health. Proclaim them to yourself when heaven seems far away or your needs loom large. In your prayer, thank the Lord and rejoice in these facts, perhaps choosing a different one each day. Remember that Jesus always walks beside you. This is the way to stay on course and stand firm in the Lord. “Lord, thank you for providing directions to guide me home!”6
Friar Jude Winkler comments that a group living for its own satisfaction lacks the Christian perspective of feet on earth and hearts in heaven. Cleverness was an esteemed virtue in 1st Century Palestine. Friar Jude urges us to apply our everyday cleverness to our spiritual journey.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, reminds us that God is the ultimate nonviolent one, so we dare not accept any theory of salvation—much less socialization, economics, or politics—that is based on violence, exclusion, social pressure, or moral coercion. When we do, these are legitimated as a proper way of life. God saves by loving and including, not by excluding or punishing.
To maintain this mind and heart over the long haul is true Gospel spirituality. I have no doubt that it takes many daily decisions and many surrenders. It is aided by seeking out like-minded people. Such grace and freedom are never lone achievements. Saints are those who wake up while in this world, instead of waiting for the next one. Francis of Assisi, William Wilberforce, Thérèse of Lisieux, and Harriet Tubman did not feel superior to anyone else; they just knew they had been let in on a big divine secret, and they wanted to do their part in revealing it to those who knew nothing about it.7
One step to becoming loving disciples of Jesus is that of including others in the circle of those who receive our attention, compassion, and mercy.
References
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