Why do we talk about money so often in church?
The manager in our parable today knows that his job loss will lead to starvation. If something doesn’t change, he is going to die. So, he sizes up his situation and wastes no time executing his sly plan for survival.
While he still has power to make deals with his master’s money, he calls each of the debtors in for a one-on-one meeting. He has each of them acknowledge how much they owe and then has them altar the numbers. It is the manager’s idea, but the debtors change the amount owed in their own handwriting. Now they are partners in crime. The manager has taught them how to cook the books, but they have gone there willingly. When he’s fired, they will welcome him into their homes because if not, he will ‘out them’ to the master.
And Jesus says “his master commended that dishonest manager for acting shrewdly.” And we all say “Whaa?”
I hear this as a kind of begrudging admiration, like the Scotland yard investigator who puffs thoughtfully on his pipe at the scene of the crime and says “Well, you gotta give it to him, the crook really knew what he was doing.” Anyway you spin it, despite the manager’s questionable ethics, it does appear that Jesus is praising him for acting prudently.
And perhaps we can relate. The manager is probably worried about feeding his kids and paying the mortgage. Think about the incredible lengths we would all go to ensure that our children are fed and housed (I know I would do some pretty shady things). But Jesus is really talking about our spiritual survival; pointing out how we tend to be very determined and shrewd in the ways of the world but are not as single-minded and wise when it comes to protecting our spirit.
Jesus is always talking about the dangers of money. Our relationship with wealth is without question one of (if not THE) most predominant subjects found in our scriptures. It is a profoundly spiritual matter. Our teachings plainly say “God intended the earth and everything in it for ALL human beings, so goods must flow fairly to ALL.” It is unjust for any person (or nation) to store up surplus goods solely for private use when others lack the bare necessities for life.” And yet, we have an entire industry of storage units for our excess.
Every year 15 million children die of starvation. This effects us because we are all connected. We aren’t able to find happiness or peace because we shouldn’t be able to. We should feel restless in our cozy beds at night when there are 65 million refugees fleeing war right now who have nothing; no home, no safety, no hope for their children.
Those of us who make $34K a year or more are part of a very elite economic class, the wealthiest of the wealthy, the top 1% of humanity’s 7 billion people - and our excess is making us sick and shallow. Jesus’ words today may not sound like good news, but they are; hard, direct words of good news-because social justice is a non-negotiable for spiritual health.
But it’s hard because we have lots of fear about of not having enough. I literally begin to sweat when I think about my kids’ college tuition coming up this fall. And don’t we all shutter when we hear on the news about the poor old woman who eats cat food or dies alone from heat exhaustion because she can’t afford air conditioning? This is scary stuff. Yet Jesus says "do not be afraid or have anxiety. Do not worry about your life, what you will eat...it is God’s good pleasure to give us all that we need.”
Dishonest wealth doesn’t necessarily mean that we gained it dishonestly, it simply means that our wealth LIES to us; it promises what it can never deliver. Wealth can never provide us with true happiness, but it parades as the ultimate safety. We are squandering our time and talent running after a false god.
The Prophet Malachi says “Return to me. Don’t rob me of your tithe. Don’t keep me at a distance. Bring me the first fruits of your labor; a full 10% of your earnings so that there may be food in my house. Put me to the test. Try and surpass me in generosity!” Tithing isn’t about money. It’s ridiculous to think God needs our money. ALL things belong to God. All that we have and own is just on lend for a few years. Tithing is about TRUST. Trust that our truth wealth lies in right relationship; what we are designed for by our loving creator.
“Many years ago a man named Blonden strung a tightrope across Niagara Falls and walked across the raging waters pushing a wheelbarrow. A crowd gathered as he successfully made his way back to his starting place. He asked “Who here believes I can cross over again,?“ The exhilarated crowd began shouting, “We believe, we believe!” Blonden turned to one of the men in the crowd who was cheering the loudest, looked him straight in the eye and said, “Ok, then….get in. “
Send your CCQ to Lisa Brown at dre@ctredeemer.org or read past columns at www.crazycatholicquestions.blogspot.com.
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