Readings: Amos 8:4-7;
1 Tim. 2:1-8; Lk 16:1-13.
What Would You Sacrifice
for Eternal Life?
The first reading of today reminds me of
St. Oscar Romero, (canonized October 14, 2018) the slain Archbishop of San
Salvador. Monsenor Romero, as he was called, was an advocate for justice and the
voice for the poor in the turbulent times leading up to El Salvador’s civil
war. Romero saw people, especially the poor, as human beings, created in the
image of God and so should be treated with dignity. He struggled for the
liberation of his people from the shackles of repressive military government. He
was assassinated on March 24, 1980, while celebrating Mass in the hospital
chapel of Divine Providence. Romero knew his death was imminent and so warned
his would-be assassins: “If am killed, I shall arise again in the Salvadoran
people.” When I visited El Salvador in 2017, it was an overwhelming experience for
me to stand at the same place Romero stood by that Altar when the assassin’s
bullet struck and shattered his heart. I think about the Liberation Theologians
from South America between 1950 and 1960. Men like Gustavo Gutierrez of Peru,
Leonardo Boff of Brazil, Juan Luis Segundo of Uruguay, Archbishop Helder Camara
of Brazil and Jon Sobrino of Spain. These men popularized the phrase
preferential option for the poor and believed that God speaks particularly
through the poor and that the Bible can be understood only as seen from the
perspective of the poor. They were courageous and fearless defenders of the
poor. They fought and died while defending their rights. Dom Helder Camara
reminds us that “When we are dreaming alone it is only a dream. When we are
dreaming with others, it is the beginning of reality.”
As I think of these men, I note with
sadness that we are engaged in the same struggle even today. The poor are still
hounded, traumatized, stigmatized, pushed around, put in cages; slammed into
prisons and out of sight; while there seems to be a collective sense of silence
among those who should speak out for their rights. Amos addressed a situation
similar to ours where the giant corporations have bought the government, fossil
fuel companies, the gun lobby, health insurance companies and drug companies
have taken control of the economy; and the poor and the powerless are thrown
under the bus. Where greed and injustice prevail, revolt, anarchy and protest
are the result and the brunt of it all would be borne by the same poor people.
The message of Amos is as urgent today as
it was in his days. “Hear this, you who trample upon the needy and destroy the
poor of the land! We will buy the lowly for silver, and the poor for a pair of
sandals.” (8:4-7). Amos lived and preached at the time of material and
financial prosperity in Israel, where the rich amassed wealth by ruthlessly
exploiting and cheating the poor, when fraud and deception were normal in
businesses and banking and the lawyers were working for vested interests of the
wealthy rather than for justice, where the city life was corrupt, and religion
was just a routine, a farce, a sham and shameful. In their affluence the children
of Israel lost their faith and focus on God. The Sabbath and the new moon that were
supposed to be days of prayer and rest, were resented as interruption in the
pursuit of money. All caution and a sense of decency in business and the care
of ordinary people were thrown to the wind.
To them Amos’ warning was frank, direct,
precise and decisive: “The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob: Never will I
forget a thing they have done!” He called the people back to wholeness of life
and solidarity as one people under God. He reminded them of the futility of
their fancy liturgies and solemn assemblies as long as they kept exploiting the
poor. For as the psalmist reminds us the “Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Ps. 34:18). The mission of Christ
was clear and simple: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; because he has
anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty
to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” (Lk. 4:18-19).
In the parable we have just heard from the
Gospel, Jesus does not in any way praise the craftiness and the attitude of the
dishonestly honest steward for his laziness and shady bookkeeping. Oh no! He
commends, rather, his ingenuity and willingness to foresee and do whatever it took
to ensure a prosperous future for himself while he still had time and ability
to do so. “For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with
their own generation than are the children of light.” (v.8). He, in fact, did
what Christ urged us to do: “Make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth,
so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” (v.9). But
our friend’s immediate concern was not eternal life but how to make ends meet
and prepare for rainy days. We should be willing to do whatever it takes to attend
eternal life. How much are you prepared to invest in your quest to be with God?
The Gospel reminds us that whatever we
have is given to us for the benefit of all. Our wealth is a blessing from God
only to the extent that we detach ourselves from them and are willing to share
with others. Our use of money should always be related to social justice and
personal responsibility. Our worship of God has to influence the way we behave.
It is by so doing that we will be entrusted with eternal life, for those we
assist on earth will plead for us on the day of judgment. “Whatever you did for
one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matt. 25:40). And this is the kind of world that the first
reading and the Liberation Theologians dreamt of, the world where the resources
are equitably shared and made available to all. For according to Dom Helder
Camara, “Without justice and love, peace will always be a great illusion.” It
is only in the recognition that God has blessed the world with abundance to be
enjoyed by all that peace, justice and equity will prevail in the world.
The readings leave us with a few lessons
to ponder so as to “lead quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity”
according to St. Paul in the second reading. First of all, we must be men and
women of prayer. “I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions and thanksgiving
be offered for everyone and that in every place the men should pray, lifting up
holy hands, without anger or argument.” Prayer must not only be the concern of
women and children, men should also be prayer warriors.
Secondly, we should be serious about the
things of God. That means, the Christian should be as eager and ingenious in
his attempt to attain goodness as the man of the world is in his attempt to
make money and have comfort in life. We tend to spend money and time for what
gives us instant pleasure: our hobby, our pets and our sports more than we
would spend time in prayer or pursuing spiritual things. Third, we should use
material things and possessions to cement our relationships with others,
especially the poor. They are the ones who will secure our life of peace with
God. The rich should help the poor in this world while the poor will help the
rich in the next. Finally, since we cannot serve two masters, we must decide
who to serve, God or money. Once we choose to serve God we should know that
there is no spare time for ourselves, since all our time belongs to God. God is
our most exclusive master. We either belong to him totally or not at all. May
God give us the strength to choose him above and beyond all else. Amen.
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