The parable of the unrighteous steward is one of the more puzzling parables in the Gospels. Only the Gospel of Luke includes it.
It is all the more puzzling because of its placement in the Gospel of Luke, right on the heels, immediately following the great parable of the Prodigal Son, a parable which makes us reflect upon the mercy of the Father. Following on the heels of the tale of the most merciful father is this cryptic, unsettling, uncomfortable story about a steward who wastes his master’s goods – then finds out he is about to be fired – then goes on to act dishonestly with his master’s debtors – and then is commended by his master for acting shrewdly.However, the most difficult verse to explain is verse 9, where Jesus states, “And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes”. Could this mean that someone who made their money dishonestly, can still give to the poor, can still help the needy, can still have an intention for the good of people?
The huge donations that wealthy patrons sometimes make to hospitals, to charities, to universities, to churches – who can really tell if on that wealth all the taxes were paid properly, if no workers were mistreated, no suppliers left unpaid. And yet, the municipal official, the hospital administrator, the pastor, the one in charge, when faced with a generous benefactor with a sweet-smelling newly printed cheque; when faced with the possibility of having funds to repave the parking lot, to pay off debt, to invest in new buildings; this same person is in front of a tricky question: the money that this generous benefactor is offering, was it earned honestly?
The warning from the prophet Amos, from our first reading, sounds loud and clear: “Hear this, you who trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land…surely I will never forget any of their deeds”, says the Lord. The Lord is good at following the trail of dishonest money.
Maybe it is better to receive smaller amounts, from people who are trying to be faithful in little things, who are trying, sometimes succeeding, sometimes failing, to serve God, not mammon, who are trying to serve the master that is the Lord of the Universe.
Moreover, we need to take into account the words of the second reading, from the First Letter of St. Paul to Timothy: “I urge that supplications…be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions”; this includes the rich, those who have the means to make a mark on the world around them; basing ourselves on the words of St. Paul, we ought also to pray for our politicians, those who in our society take the place which a king, a monarch, occupied in ages past. The Constitution Gaudium et Spes, from the Second Vatican Council, has this to offer about politicians:
“Great care must be taken about civic and political formation, which is of the utmost necessity today for the population as a whole…Those who are suited or can become suited should prepare themselves for the difficult, but at the same time, the very noble art of politics, and should seek to practice this art without regard for their own interests or for material advantages”. Once again, those seeking high positions in politics, or high positions in any other group, should not seek those positions for their own benefit, or their own financial profit. They ought not to imitate the unjust steward from today’s parable.
The document continues, speaking of politicians: “With integrity and wisdom, they must take action against any form of injustice and tyranny, against arbitrary domination by an individual or a political party and any intolerance. They should dedicate themselves to the service of all with sincerity and fairness, indeed, with the charity and fortitude demanded by political life” (Gaudium et Spes, 75). My brothers and sisters, if our politicians are to act with charity and fortitude, that means that we need to choose them well; and that also means that our prayers are supremely necessary to support them, so that they have the strength to act with charity and fortitude.
The parable of the unjust steward brings to mind the importance of earning one’s keep, of making a living, in an honest fashion. The prophet Amos, in our first reading, reminded us that the Lord himself will take the side of the poor. And St. Paul asks us to pray, especially for those in high positions – in business or politics, among others – so that we may live a quiet and peaceable life.
(Fr. Pawel Ratajczak, OMI, Sept. 22, 2019)