Amos 8:4-7

Amos has been called the prophet of social justice. He lived about 750 B.C., a time of economic prosperity and religious corruption. Amos was a forceful and colorful preacher, as we will hear in today's passage.

1 Tim 2:1-8

We continue to read from first Timothy, a letter written in Paul's name about 30 years after his death. Today's passage, drawing upon Paul's authority, teaches about public prayer. We will also hear quoted what may have been an early Christian creed.

Luke 16:1-13

Bishop Untener's Homily

The first thing we have to do is make sure we understand the economic system that is the background for this parable.

The rich man was an absentee landlord. The manager was the person who was on-site and had total responsibility for the farm. He set the prices, negotiated the transactions, lent money, and supervised the laborers. And, especially in making loans, he set the interest rate, which was his own commission. At that time the interest rate could be as high as 100 per cent.

Apparently, he had been dishonest and inept in his management. That precedes what happens here. What he does once he finds out he's going to be fired is not dishonest. He simply cuts out his own commission. He recognizes the fact that he's going to be out of a job and will need the help of others to survive. So, he spends his money wisely. He "invests" in his future by giving to the lenders what would have been his commission. And in doing so, he wins their good will.

The owner recognizes this and commends him for it. For all his dishonesty in the past, he was now acting “prudently.”

Luke then attaches to this parable several sayings of Jesus help interpret it. These sayings were probably spoken at different times by Jesus. And they bring out a variety of meanings.

For one thing, we learn that we should use our money and our possessions with an eye to our future - and our future is death... death to our earthly life, and the beginning of a long, long life after that. We want to be able to say on our deathbed: "I spent my money well. I invested it in my future. Which is very different from looking back and saying, “I accumulated a lot of money and possessions” - all of which we leave behind when we die.

Jesus is clear on this when he says: “For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.” The word “prudent” is, I think, a weak translation of the Greek word used here. The same word is used elsewhere in the Gospels and is translated with English words that catch its fuller meaning. For example, in Matthew's Gospel, at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks of the "wise" man who built his house on rock rather than sand. It's the same word used here and it is translated as "wise." Also in Matthew's Gospel, when Jesus sends the Twelve out on mission, he tells them to be "shrewd as serpents." Again, it's the same word. It connotes being clever, creative, astute, enterprising.

So, we need to be creative in the way we use our money and possessions, and do so with an eye to our future.

But, as I said, the words of Jesus after the parable bring out a variety of applications. Since we're celebrating here the 25th anniversary of Hispanic Lay Ministry, we ought to see how this applies to ministry in the Church.

Right now on this Sunday afternoon, there are football games going on in many places. The NFL has a full schedule. Tomorrow, Monday, all the coaches will gather and for hours and hours go over the films of the games and try to analyze them. They'll look at what worked and what didn't work. They'll watch for mistakes and plan to correct them. They'll look for creative ways to do better next week. And after the game next week, they'll do the same thing. And the week after that, and so on.

We might say, "Well, that's a game, and it's a lot different from ministry. But remember what Jesus said: "The children of this world are more prudent - clever, astute, creative - in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light."

Those of us in ministry need to take this seriously. We need to ask ourselves if we are simply carrying out our ministry in sort of a cursory, perfunctory way, or whether we're using all our creative juices to make it work. We worry about the decline in Mass attendance. Well, what are we doing about it? We can sit back and blame it on "them," but Jesus calls upon us to be "wise as serpents." He calls upon us to be enterprising, creative in dealing with such things.

Or, we complain that more parishioners don't participate by carrying out some ministry in the parish. Do we just wring our hands, or do we try to analyze how we can make this happen?

Or, we lament the fact that so many people don't accept the Lord's invitation to "take and drink." They take the bread and skip the cup. What do we do about that?

The list could go on and on. The longer the list, the more we in ministry need to think about what Jesus said: "The children of this world are more prudent - clever, astute, creative - in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light."

We've got something those NFL coaches don't have. We've got the Holy Spirit to enlighten us, enliven us. The more astute we are, the more we'll turn to the Spirit and say, "lead us, guide us, show us the way."

I call all of us in ministry to do that. I call all of us in ministry of any kind to take this Gospel seriously. "The children of this world are more prudent - clever, astute, creative - in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light." May that never be said of us. May we always open ourselves to the creative gift of the Spirit, and know that it is the Lord who sends us, and he sends us as he sent the Twelve: To be "wise as serpents, and innocent as doves."

Originally given on September 23, 2001