The
story is told of a man who was caught stealing. He was ordered by the king to
be hanged. On the way to the gallows, he said to the governor that he knew a
wonderful secret and it would be a pity to allow it to die with him. He wanted
to disclose it only to the king and so, he was taken to the king. He told the
king that he would put a seed of a mango into the ground and, through a secret
taught to him by his father, he would make it grow and bear fruit overnight.
There would be no need to wait for the mango season or for years; the result
would be almost immediate. The king was intrigued.
The
next day, the thief, accompanied by the king and several ministers and officers
of high ranking, was taken to a field. There, the thief dug a hole in the
ground and spoke out the secret saying, “For this seed to grow overnight, it
must be put into the ground only by a man who has never stolen or taken
anything which did not belong to him. That man must be a totally honest man.
Since it will only grow if this condition is fulfilled, I cannot do it since I
am a thief. One of you will have to plant the seed.” The thief turned to the
Vizier who, frightened, said that in his younger days he had retained something
which did not belong to him. The treasurer said that dealing with such large
sums, he might have entered too much or too little and even the king owned that
he had kept a necklace of his father’s without permission. The thief then
looked at all of them and smiled. The king, pleased with the ruse of the thief,
pardoned him.
On
the one hand, a story like this might lend itself to being interpreted to mean
that dishonesty or thievery is all right. It might be taken to mean that,
though the man had done something wrong, he got away with subterfuge and
cunning. However, the point is not so much that, as the fact that, when faced
with death, the thief uses all his ingenuity, creativity, and inventiveness to
save his life. He uses all his skill to get out of an extremely difficult situation.
This
is also the point that Jesus makes in the parable that forms the Gospel text
for today. Jesus is not praising dishonesty or even the dishonest steward. His
focus in the parable is on the prompt and speedy action that the steward takes.
He takes control of a terrible situation and acts decisively because his
livelihood and therefore, his life are at stake. He casts caution to the winds,
seizes an opportunity and makes provisions for his future.
More
importantly, the focus of Jesus is on the contrast between the steps that a
person takes for things that are temporary and the lethargy that is shown by
most when it comes to things that are eternal. This is what Jesus means when he
says,” … for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own
generation than are the children of light.”
This
lethargic attitude regarding things that are eternal is the attitude that Amos
berates in the first reading of today. The people imagined that the good
fortune that they were presently enjoying would continue forever and so,
concentrated only on earthly, temporary realities. They would not repent, or
seize the opportunity to make amends. They would continue to carry on with the
evil they were doing. They would continue to “practice deceit with false
balances” “trample on the needy and bring to ruin the poor of the land”. They
would continue to cheat the poor and downtrodden and be concerned only with how
much they can earn for themselves and that, through unfair and unjust means. Their
belly has become their god.
Yet,
now is the time of salvation, now is the appointed hour and so, decisions as
important as these cannot be left for tomorrow or even later. The kingdom of
God is indeed in our midst and in us and this is why we who are called to focus
on permanence and eternalness have to act in the present moment. How is this
focus attained? What changes must we make in order to get back this focus?
Paul
gives us an indication in the second reading of today when he calls Timothy,
and us, to supplications and prayers for a peaceable life.
This
is a life where each person will live in dignity. This is a life where no one
will be in need because there will be equitable distribution and each will have
what he/she needs.
This
is a life in which none will show the greed and selfishness that has become so
much part of our culture and way of living.
This
is a life in which “Christ Jesus, himself human,” who dared to give himself as
a ransom for all, is the inspiration that, if followed, will make that life a
reality.
This
is a life in which each one is determined to live for the values of love and
justice – everlasting values of the kingdom of God.