Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time : Real Poverty

Reading 1

AM 8:4-7

Hear this, you who trample upon the needy
and destroy the poor of the land!
“When will the new moon be over,” you ask,
“that we may sell our grain,
and the sabbath, that we may display the wheat?
We will diminish the ephah,
add to the shekel,
and fix our scales for cheating!
We will buy the lowly for silver,
and the poor for a pair of sandals;
even the refuse of the wheat we will sell!”
The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob:
Never will I forget a thing they have done!

Responsorial Psalm

PS 113:1-2, 4-6, 7-8

R. (cf. 1a, 7b) Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise, you servants of the LORD,
praise the name of the LORD.
Blessed be the name of the LORD
both now and forever.
R. Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.
High above all nations is the LORD;
above the heavens is his glory.
Who is like the LORD, our God, who is enthroned on high
and looks upon the heavens and the earth below?
R. Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He raises up the lowly from the dust;
from the dunghill he lifts up the poor
to seat them with princes,
with the princes of his own people.
R. Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading 2

1 TM 2:1-8

Beloved:

First of all, I ask that supplications, prayers,

petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone,

for kings and for all in authority,

that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life

in all devotion and dignity. 

This is good and pleasing to God our savior,

who wills everyone to be saved

and to come to knowledge of the truth.

For there is one God.

There is also one mediator between God and men,

the man Christ Jesus,

who gave himself as ransom for all.

This was the testimony at the proper time. 

For this I was appointed preacher and apostle

— I am speaking the truth, I am not lying —,

teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

It is my wish, then, that in every place the men should pray,

lifting up holy hands, without anger or argument.

Gospel

LK 16:1-13

Jesus said to his disciples,

“A rich man had a steward

who was reported to him for squandering his property. 

He summoned him and said,

‘What is this I hear about you? 

Prepare a full account of your stewardship,

because you can no longer be my steward.’

The steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do,

now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me? 

I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg. 

I know what I shall do so that,

when I am removed from the stewardship,

they may welcome me into their homes.’

He called in his master’s debtors one by one. 

To the first he said,

‘How much do you owe my master?’

He replied, ‘One hundred measures of olive oil.’

He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note. 

Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.’

Then to another the steward said, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’

He replied, ‘One hundred kors of wheat.’

The steward said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note;

write one for eighty.’

And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently.

“For the children of this world

are more prudent in dealing with their own generation

than are the children of light. 

I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth,

so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

The person who is trustworthy in very small matters

is also trustworthy in great ones;

and the person who is dishonest in very small matters

is also dishonest in great ones. 

If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth,

who will trust you with true wealth? 

If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another,

who will give you what is yours? 

No servant can serve two masters. 

He will either hate one and love the other,

or be devoted to one and despise the other. 

You cannot serve both God and mammon.”

Theme for reflection:  Real Poverty

In the first reading of today we see the great faithfulness of God towards the poor and the downtrodden.

He warns the rich among the Israelites and those who rule over these poor, here on earth, neither to cheat or swindle them nor to treat them unjustly.

The poor and the poverty of the many are a common problem even in our times and so often we may work out plans to rob and steal the poor by sweet words of treachery.

There are some who are practitioner’s of social justice and work for the emancipation of the poor, the marginalized of society and the downtrodden.

When there are modern day governments, who seem to be extra conscious of the social status of their subject and have socialistic schemes to alleviate the suffering of these poor then why do we require non- NGO’s to strive to work towards the alleviation of the poor?  

Hence, do we  as Catholics really need to work towards these causes?

It is good for us Catholics to work for the emancipation of the poor but we should not forget to understand the right kind of poverty and work according to God’s wisdom to alleviate the sufferings of the poor rather than go by human priorities and standard.

We should, more so, serve because our God cares for his poor?

Who then are these poor whom we are called to serve in the first place and as of first priority?

Let us first understand the contradiction of the first 2 readings: While the first one is a warning and is a reminder of God faithfully watching over his poor on the other hand the second reading seems to worry about the rich and mighty and invites us to pray and intercede for them.

A deeper glance gives us a reason for such prayer and which could be summed up like this: We Christians who are poor by virtue of our following of Christ Jesus (hence not just a material condition) should pray for these rich and the powerful that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life
in all devotion and dignity.  (1 Tim. 2:2)

Similarly in the gospel we are further exposed to this truth that as Christians our poverty is realized not on account of lack of wealth or possession but that every Christian becomes poor in Christ Jesus on account of the realization of one’s status as a steward of God’s wealth and thus walking accordingly. 

Which means that we as Christians may have plenty of wealth and money and yet all that one has belongs not to them but to God and that we are mere stewards: That is poverty!

Otherwise we could be active in the service of the poor and the marginalized and yet may be rich with possessions and wealth and the greatest of them is the wealth of the many adulations and honor we accumulate and for which the world is willing to honor and reward.

Some additional scripture verses for reflection and use:    

    

And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: "Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Luke 6:20

LUKE 16: 1-9 (today’s Gospel)

This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 1 Cor 4:1

   

As each has received a gift, employ it for one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who utters oracles of God; whoever renders service, as one who renders it by the strength which God supplies; in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 4:10-11 

So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. Gal 6:10

 

Good Works

Today’s Gospel Text:  And behold, one came up to him, saying, "Teacher, what good deed must I do, to have eternal life?" 17 And he said to him, "Why do you ask me about what is good? One there is who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments." 18 He said to him, "Which?" And Jesus said, "You shall not kill, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 20 The young man said to him, "All these I have observed; what do I still lack?" 21 Jesus said to him, "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions. Matt 19:16-22

Reflection: We know that mere good deeds can’t save us from eternal damnation and St. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians reminds us of it:

  

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God - not because of works, lest any man should boast. Eph 2:8-9

Whether we work to liberate people from every form of oppression, and alleviate the sufferings of the marginalized or work towards the emancipation of the poor and those on the periphery of society or visit the sick and the homeless or feed the hungry or clothe the naked, it can by itself never gain for us eternal life.  

But does he not assure us in the gospel of Matthew; eternal life for feeding the hungry and the poor and for clothing them and visiting them in prison?

Many interpret Matthew’s text by not reading it in its context and not interpreting it the way the Lord has clearly presented it to us.

Does the Lord also not warn us when he says: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”?  Matt 7:21

So the key is to do all things is by abiding in Christ and doing it according to his will.

In other words, it means the work of faith, beginning with Jesus and ending with Jesus.

There are many who have plunged themselves in works of mercy and in so called Christian charity without keeping the mandate of Christ and his vision for humanity close at heart.

The gospel that they preach is that of mere human emancipation based on materialism and at the most human development; a purely economic or socio-psychological exercise.

For them the gospel of Christ is powerless to change society and if in any way Christ exists in their agenda then it is to gather funds in his name or as a cover of light to hide the dark.

Prayer: O God, the source of all goodness, help us to imitate you and your good ways which you have revealed to us in your Son Jesus that we may always walk in his grace.

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us

Inherit

Today’s Gospel Text: And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" 26 He said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read?" 27 And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." 28 And he said to him, "You have answered right; do this, and you will live." 29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" 30 Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion, 34 and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.' 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?" 37 He said, "The one who showed mercy on him." And Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise." Luke 10:25-37

Reflection: “A lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"  (vs.25)

The lawyer could have asked any other question under the sun or could have asked a question in keeping with his profession?  

He could have asked Jesus as to how the knowledge of the law could help in bringing about a reign of justice, peace and brotherhood?

(The lawyers of Jesus’ time were not in any way the same as the legal lawyers of today but were scribes who were well versed with Mosaic Law and taught them to the people)

Yet, what was asked by the lawyer was a question which could either be looked at with skepticism and negativity or with a sense of respect and approval as being the right question which everyone must either ponder on or ask.

It could also be looked upon as a selfish question with self centered overtones; In other words, one could say that instead of bothering about relevant issues of society or justice issues, this man is concerned about his eternity. 

One could even ask:  Will a struggle done on behalf of the poor and marginalized not assure him a place in heaven, and more so, since he is a lawyer he should be familiar with matters of justice and struggle?

Yet, we could have such experts in our day with such a stance and they may even come across as wiser than Jesus because in their criticism they overrule all that Jesus says, not by explicit rejection of what Jesus says but by their misinterpretation of the teachings of Jesus.

But we are not to be so because in saving ourselves we could be better equipped to save others; for this saving of ourselves is primarily accomplished with Christ Jesus by our willful cooperation and through whom we receive the grace to even reach out in love for our neighbor.

Prayer:  Lord, as I walk in your way, may I never lose sight of your salvific action in our lives which equips us to enter totally into your way of life.

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us

Social Justice

Scripture: One of the multitude said to him, "Teacher, bid my brother divide the inheritance with me." 14 But he said to him, "Man, who made me a judge or divider over you?" 15 And he said to them, "Take heed, and beware of all covetousness; for a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." Luke 12:13-15

Reflection:  I want to name this story, ‘The oppressing and the marginalized brother’,  to honor our modern day Christian activists: One has robbed the other of his lot. The inherited property belongs to every child equally according to the law and according to justice and ethics.  What right has this brother then to keep the property for himself?

Disappointing and sad still is the attitude of Jesus.  When the world stands in need of liberation he fails to take his stand. Forget dividing the property, the least Jesus could do was take a stand. Those days he was crucified for some other reason now he needs to be crucified for this; I mean his followers should be crucified for their indifference to social injustice. 

Are you scandalized by these statements, yet there is a tribe that sees Jesus as an activist and proclaims and invites others to do the same.

Why does this happen?  It happens because we do know the master and his priorities and yet claim to be his servants.  Some have rejected him and adopted a spirituality that is contrary to the faith and yet claim to be more Christian than the other with all sincerity of heart and stupidity of mind and arguments.

Prayer:  Lord, help me know your priorities for me and seek first your kingdom and your righteousness. (Mt. 6:33)

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us