25th Sunday in Ordinary Time [C] – September 22, 2019 – Luke 16:1-13
There is something strange in our Gospel today. Jesus is praising the cunning steward. Why does Jesus commend his shrewd action? To understand Jesus’ words, we need to comprehend first what really takes place with this servant and his master.
There is a steward who had been entrusted by his master to take care of his master’s house and possession, and yet, instead doing his job, he prefers to squander his master’s wealth and betrays his master’s trust. Angered master does what he is expected to do. He fires his useless servant. Yet, upon this impending judgment, the servant realizes that he is not able to dig, meaning he cannot labor in the farmland or at the construction sites. He is also ashamed to become a beggar. Then, he engineers a way out. He calls all his master’s debtors and cut into half all their debts by manipulating their letter of agreement. By doing this, he is doing a favor to them and making them as their friends. This is to secure way to survive after his expulsion. Surely this is manipulation and corruption, and yet he is praised for doing so. What’s going on?
Jesus gives us an example of how smart the children of this world manage their affairs. In the time of crisis, the wicked servant is able to discern well what is most important in his life, that is his survival. For a while, the servant is attached to the wealth of his master and spending them as if this money is his. But, when he realizes he is in the great trouble, he makes the right choice. He detaches himself from his addiction from wealth and make them as a means to achieve his survival. Jesus then compares the children of this world, and the children of light. If the children of this world can use and manipulate the material possession for their earthly motives, so the children of light shall use the same wealth to attain even a loftier goal.
This teaching of Jesus is important and massive implication. We are not only allowed, but even encouraged to use the material goods and wealth in order to reach heaven. Jesus even uses a stronger term: make friends for yourself with dishonest wealth! Surely, it does not mean we can buy heaven, or we can bribe God! We cannot never do those things. These material possession and money serve us as means to live decent lives, help each other and worship God.
The problem is that we, the children of light, are not friends with wealth. We either hate money or we love money. Firstly, some of us may have a perspective that money is evil, dangerous and leading to sin. Thus, when we hate money, we detest also those who have money. The hatred of money may lead to hatred of others, and we may fail to fulfill Christ’s commandment: to love one another. Secondly, many of us love money. We are attached to earthly wealth that we forget their true purpose. We make means into the end, and end into the means. We turn our family, friends, employees, religion, even God as tools to gain more and more money. It is a disheartening reality nowadays that some people create new religions and churches to enrich themselves. We are only to love God and to love each other for the love of God, but never money. We make friends with earthly wealth in order for us to gain heaven.
Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP
Ada sesuatu yang aneh dalam Injil kita hari ini. Yesus memuji pelayan yang curang itu. Mengapa Yesus memuji tindakan cerdiknya? Untuk memahami kata-kata Yesus, kita perlu memahami terlebih dahulu apa yang sebenarnya terjadi dengan hamba ini dan tuannya.
In Jesus’ time, the scribes are the well-educated Jewish men who are expert in the Law of Moses. Some of them come from the wealthy families, and others hail from the priestly clan. Being able to teach and interpret the Law, they receive the respect and honor from the ancient Jewish society. Thus, ordinary Jews will greet them and prepare them the seats of honor in the synagogues and the banquets. Surely, there is no problem with receiving greetings and sitting as honor guests. Jesus Himself is often greeted as “Teacher” or “Rabbi”, and He attends the banquets as guest of honor (see Mar 14:3). The problem comes when some of the scribes possesses “narcissistic desire” and intentionally look for these privileges.
Pada masa Yesus hidup, para ahli Taurat adalah orang Yahudi terdidik dan menjadi ahli dalam Hukum Musa. Beberapa dari mereka berasal dari keluarga kaya, dan yang lain dibesarkan dari klan imam. Mampu mengajar dan menafsirkan Hukum, mereka menerima respek dan kehormatan dari masyarakat Yahudi. Dengan demikian, orang-orang Yahudi kebanyakan akan menyapa dengan hormat para ahli Taurat ini dan mempersiapkan bagi mereka kursi kehormatan di sinagoga dan perjamuan. Tentunya, tidak ada masalah dengan menerima salam dan duduk sebagai tamu kehormatan. Yesus sendiri sering disambut sebagai “Guru” atau “Rabi”, dan Dia menghadiri perjamuan sebagai tamu kehormatan (lihat Mar 14:3). Masalah muncul ketika beberapa ahli Taurat memiliki “hasrat narsistik”, menjadi gila hormat dan dengan sengaja mencari yang kehormatan dan semua hak-hak istimewa.
I am currently preparing for my ordination to the diaconate. It is a transitional stage before I become a priest of Jesus Christ. Despite the fact of being transitional, a deacon in itself is an important state in the life of the Church. Bishop Virgilio David, DD of Kalookan reminded the 15 newly-ordained Jesuit deacons in his homily last October that we shall not see a deacon as a mere stepping step toward higher states, like priests and bishops. It is the very core in the layers of concentric circles that make up the ordained ministries of the Church. The diaconate is not a lower rank but the core, without which both the offices of presbyters and bishops collapse. It is the foundation on which we build leadership in the Church. Yet, why do the deacons have to be placed at the core, and become the foundation?
In Medio Ecclesiae 