September 21: The Day of the Lord / El Día del Señor

Jesus was a master at calling people to account for their manner of living. He was also a master at challenging systems that supported lifestyles that were contrary to Gospel values. He was sharp in criticizing the vices rampant under Roman rule and throughout Jewish culture.

Jesus saw, for example, how some people benefited from a system that rewarded them at the expense of others. He saw that people in debt were caught in a vicious circle of increasing interest. He saw widows being neglected and losing a chance to survive with dignity. He saw how the blind and lame were being blamed for disabilities over which they had no control. All of this grieved Him and much of His public ministry was dedicated to righting these wrongs.

The parable in Luke 16, 1-13 is one of the more complex and potentially troubling of all the parables in the Gospels. The bottom line, though, is St. Luke’s quote from Jesus saying that we “cannot love both God and money.”

Let’s not lose sight of what life was like under Roman rule and within the Jewish culture of the day. The vast majority of the people had to buy what they needed from “the company store” with whatever was left over after they paid to the rich exorbitant rent and inflated prices for the basics in life. The harvest was never enough to pay the rent and buy what they needed. So, they just got deeper and deeper in debt. The steward in the parable knew just to enough realize that something was wrong, and it got him in trouble. What he did about it was also wrong, but the manner in which he did it is what Jesus praised. Rather than continuing to accumulate wealth for himself, he zealously invested in good and lasting relationships. He saw that ultimately wealth and security are not really provided by money, but rather by friendships and relationships.

Do we seek the Kingdom in a zealous way? Are we invested in strengthening our friendship with and loyalty to God every single day? Are we treating our brothers and sisters with fairness and respect each day in a way that respects their dignity and our own?

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Un dicho muy común en otro tiempo era éste: “La religión es la religión; los negocios son los negocios.” También lo podríamos decir con otras palabras: “El templo es el templo; el mercado es el mercado; y la bolsa es la bolsa.” No … Dios no es el fisco, pero nos pide cuentas de nuestras relaciones con los otros. Parece claro que el Señor nos quiere discípulos siete días a la semana, veinticuatro horas al día. ¿Estamos agradecidos por el don de la fe, con ganas de entrar en contacto con Él, y deseosos de ver a la comunidad (nuestros hermanos y hermanas) en la que celebramos nuestra fe?

Seamos buenos administradores (Lucas 16, 1-13) de todos los buenos dones que Dios nos da, utilizándolos  en servicio de Dios y de los que nos rodean. Y seamos también buenos administradores los unos de los otros.