Twenty Fifth Sunday September 23, 2007

Amos 8: 4-7 Psalm: 113 1 Tim 2: 1-7 Luke 16 : 1-13

1. The Movie “The Motorcycle Diaries” is a biography of Che Guevara. It starts out as a fun adventure crossing South America on a Motorcycle. However his fun is caught up in the economic poverty which was caused by the greed of the rich and powerful. He comes across abject poverty which is caused not by famine, not by draught, not by floods, not by natural disasters. These terrible conditions are caused by greedy arrogant landowners who treat human beings as cyphers or numbers rather than as persons. This forces Guevara to take another look at his fun adventure and to take another look at his life. The movie is that done in such a way, that you are drawn into it. You must look into the eyes of those who are cheated, robbed, defrauded “Having seen this, what will you do?”

2. Amos in our first reading is caught up in the same dilemma. He is peacefully trimming sycamore trees when God calls him to confront the corruption and greed of the King and his court. One can turn a blind eye, when the rich defraud other rich of money. They have enough, if they loose a bundle, they will not even notice it. But the poor have a bare pittance which often is a difference between life and death. When these are robbed by Corrupt court officials who really do not need the “two bits” it makes one really angry. You feel this anger even now 2500 years later.

If one were the legendary Robin Hood - you would want to take these scoundrels out, relieve them of their money - and send them back on sore feet.

3. The problem is that with our modern day robbers:

first: they do not do the stealing themselves, they have managers and CEOs who often take the fall when they are caught in the scandal. Secondly, they do not want to know the details. They will even mingle as philanthropists doling out bonuses among the very people from whom they have stolen. Often they do not want to know, and at times, they do not care to know.

Our sociologists have asked:

why would the richest country in the world throw a billion dollars a day in a war they cannot win, and yet have over 48 million poor who cannot have health coverage and insurance.

why would some of our seniors only afford to eat cat and dog food because their old age pensions are so low, and yet you have a baseball player being paid over $2 million a month with the hope he will hit about 6 home runs a month. I leave you to figure the math.

why would we spend so much money on Gyms and Keep fit Equipment in order to keep our obesity under control while there are thousands dying of starvation just a plane ride away.

One can go on with statistics but that will distract us from the question: Amos speaks not to a King today, but to you and me. When we put these questions of sociologists within a Christian context, we hear the question of Cain in the very first book of the Bible: “Am I my brother’s keeper? Am I my sister’s keeper?”

3. It is true that we must be doing something, and something tangible. But it is important to realise that we can follow the example of Jesus who spent the night in prayer before any major decision. The Second Reading: the letter to Timothy advocates precisely that. We need to recommend to God those in power. We pray for those whose actions and decisions affect the daily lives of the Poor, Needy and Marginalized in our midst.

That Letter tells us to pray for those in authority - so that all may be able to live lives quietly and peacefully as befits the Sons and Daughters of God.

Since the time of King Cyrus, the Jewish community had prayed even for its pagan rulers, and the Church continues this practice. Such prayer recognizes the function of the state in relation to the gospel. If the state functions properly, it creates those outward conditions of tranquillity under which the gospel may be preached and the life of the community may flourish.

4. Amos proclaimed that, Paul wrote about that. One would expect that Jesus would endorse the same in the Gospel. But we are thrown a curved ball in the Gospel. Jesus praises the crook and the thief. No matter how one tries to squirm out of that tight spot: Does one imitate a crook? - it is difficult to explain.

However even though the Steward did something that was not right, one has a secret cheer for the underdog. The Owners in the time of Amos

could not care two bits for those from whom they made their wealth

did not even know the state of the poor and dispossessed. They were simply numbers, not even human beings.

they were so obscenely rich for the most part, they would not even know when they were robbed.

However, even though we feel a sense of justification, it does not make the Dishonest Steward right. Jesus is commending the man for his ingenuity and not for his crookedness. Jesus is commending the man - and asking his followers to use the same diligence for good, as the Steward used for his own self preservation.

Taken by itself, the parable is a challenge of Jesus to his contemporaries to make a drastic decision for the coming kingdom of God before it is too late. It is similar to the Parable of the Wise Bridegroom’s attendants who made sure that their flasks were full of oil as they awaited the Bridegroom’s return. The disciples are to show as much intelligence in the use of wealth as the unjust steward did in his own interests.

6. Story: At the staff meeting of a department store, a certain salesman’s very modestly reported his sales ingenuity.

“A customer came in, and I sold him some fishhooks.

“You will need a line for those hooks,” I said, and sold him some line.

“You have to have a rod to go with the line,” and I sold him a rod.

“You need a boat so you can use your new rod in deep water,” and I sold him a boat

“You’ll need a boat trailer to take the boat to the lake,” and so I sold him a trailer.

“You will need a car to pull the trailer.” He bought my car.”

“But I assigned you to the greetings card department.”

Yes, replied the salesman modestly.

“This customer came to me for a get‑-well card for his girl, who had a broken hip.

‘‘You haven’t got anything to do for six weeks, so you might as well go fishing.’