OMELIE / Omelie EN

22 set 2019

22/09/2019 – 25th in O. T. Year C

22/09/2019 – 25^th in O. T. Year C

Reading 1 AM 8,4-7 * Psalm 112 * Reading 2 1TM 2,1-8 * Gospel AM 16,1-13

Yet another teaching about wealth. Is Jesus maybe exaggerating? But, if we look around us in the world, we realize how huge are the damages and the sufferings brought by the desire for richness. This desire does not only ruin the social dealings and the relationship between peoples, but also the relationships between close relatives. How many and how great are the injustices that are due to greed: who does them cannot keep them hidden but from himself! We do not think then that the continuous and various reminders of Jesus on this topic are exaggerated.

The first reading is by the prophet Amos. He was born poor and he has lived doing a very humble job, nay, a despised one: he was gathering the excrement left behind by the livestock that others were shepherding! God chooses always the poorest and the most despised, because in the words spoken by ignorant and uncultivated people shine his greatness and his wisdom. And there He is, God, through the young prophet's mouth, shouting His Word to the rich, to they who think they can do whatever they like. In particular, He denounces the frauds and the cheats of the businessmen, their plans to become richer at the Poor’s expenses, who have to go to them in order to buy supplies for the most basic needs. Swearing, God says: “Never will I forget a thing they have done”.

With a parable Jesus wants to teach us how in case wealth we come into possession of should be used, in order for it not to be an inconvenience for our eternity, on the contrary, for it to come handy for our salvation.

Here Jesus’ thought is: a steward took for himself the things he was only in charge to manage: then his master fires him. He is now without a job. In order to live, the only option left is to become a digger. However, he is not used to it. Should he become a beggar? It is shameful! He has still some time left: he makes good use of it, and, until he can, he gives away part of his master’s goods to some people who owed him something. These will have to be thankful to him for the rest of their life: he insures in this way his own future. He has been able to make cunning use of his authority, and his dishonesty!

Jesus is thinking of His disciples: if only they were so thoughtful and ready for the future, looking for taking brave steps towards that future that lasts forever! He cannot do anything else but praise the mindfulness of the man interested in insuring his own livelihood in this world: He would like to see the men busy in the same way thinking of and worrying about the Kingdom of God! If only it was His disciples, who are the children of the light, so convinced, ready and brave in taking the necessary decisions to obtain the eternal life! They would be able to use even money differently! The latter would not become their master. He calls it «mammon of dishonesty»: men take it as something to rely on or some warranty, and they make use of it as if it could be theirs forever. But some day that money will become tight: it will not follow us when we will step over the boundaries of time. Then we will feel like it has cheated us; but the deception is already weighting on us, because, if we think money important, it changes our relationship with God and men. We will not be able to be children of God, neither obedient nor trusty, not even brothers for other men, neither generous nor attentive in front of their sufferings.

A close relationship with money is taking the Holy Spirit away from us. It is then a “dishonest” wealth, because it twists and destroys our proper relationship with God and our brethren.

The steward remitted great debts in a dishonest way in order to build a friendship on this earth. Will I not be able, with the money I have, to honestly win a friendship in the kingdom of heaven? The poor will be welcomed in it without doubt, because God is friend of theirs, friend with the oppressed, the orphans and the widows! If these poor become my debtors, they will intercede for me, and I will be welcomed in God’s tents! I will make use of my wealth to love and serve the poor.

Jesus continues with His teaching. It is of no importance the amount of money the man has. It is not important and, furthermore, it cannot be kept forever, only for a little time. It is not something we own, it has been given to us, and we only have to manage it. If I will demonstrate I am trustworthy in using the goods and richness of this earth, fulfilling the desires of whom owns them, so in order to love and help the poor, I will be able to receive more responsibilities, those which prepare the divine life for men, services and spiritual tasks in the Church.

When I will be able to distance myself from money in order to make a gift of God's love to the poor and the little of it, He will make of me a tool of eternal salvation, and He will save me too.