Sept. 22, 2013: 25th Sunday in Ordinary C

Has this ever happened to you? The other day, I went to grocery shopping at Walmart. After checking out and in the process of loading the trunk of my car with groceries, I noticed in the back corner of my shopping cart, a small bottle of peanut butter not in the plastic bag. I double checked the receipt. The peanut butter was not on the receipt. I forgot to pay for it. I muttered to myself, ‘I’m not going to spend extra months in Purgatory over a jar of peanut butter.” Then I went to the checkout counter to pay for it. Ever since I learned from people who went through near-death-experience that after we die Jesus will show us the movie of our life from the beginning to the end, I’m conscientious about what I want to see in the movie of my life after I die.

All of us worry about the future. Young people worry about schools and jobs. Young parents worry about marriage, finances, and education for their children. Older people worry about their retirement and health. We all worry about the future, and we try to make some sort of preparation. The dishonest steward in today’s Gospel faced something similar. During Jesus’ time, the type of steward described in the Gospel passage often earned his wages from the commission he charged his master’s customers. The stewards would charge exorbitant interest as a way of creating a large profit for themselves for a comfortable future. By reducing the debtors’ bills, the steward was not cheating his master; he was reducing his own profit. Thus, with the debtors grateful to him for reducing their bills, the steward would have friends who could help him start a new life if he got fired by his master.

Jesus commends his listeners to be wise and prudent, like that dishonest steward. Jesus commends not just in the exercise of our material and financial resources, but more importantly in how we use these resources for advancing God's kingdom. What we invest our time, money, and material resources in shows what we treasure or value the most. Some invest solely for their own personal advancement, comfort, and security. Some invest for the future well-being of others, such as loved ones or individuals they want to support or help in some way. Jesus warns us to invest in, and not neglect, what is most important and crucial – that which lasts forever. 

We invest in God’s Kingdom each time we are forgiving, kind, honest, sincere and generous. We invest in God’s Kingdom when we give to others and do what's right when there is no tangible return--all for Jesus. On the wall of one of Mother Teresa’s convents hangs a saying that she didn’t write, but she hung it for the sisters to read and use for meditation.

“People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.”

When we invest in God's kingdom – by doing the right thing – we are not only securing our relationship with God for all eternity, we are also promoting the spread of the Gospel and the advancement of God's kingdom on earth.