Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lk 16:1-13
September 18, 2022

This would be a good weekend to “call in sick.”

This Gospel is not only complex, but also extremely confusing. It certainly appears that Jesus is suggesting that the “scoundrel,” who has been doubly dishonest, deserves some sort of admiration.

Say what?

So far as I’m concerned, there is nothing to admire about this guy. And, in my book, the most contemptible crime of this thief is how he drew others into his web of dishonesty. Rather than simply writing off their debts in his own handwriting, accepting total responsibly should this further act of treachery come to light…he told them: Here is the promissory note…hurry up and YOU change it! In other words: YOU DO THE DIRTY WORK! He made them accomplices to his criminal acts. He set them up to be scapegoats! Scoundrels operate that way!

Clearly, this guy plays fast and loose with the truth. Once his further acts of embezzlement come to light…as crimes usually do…wouldn’t you expect him to deny knowing anything about it? Wouldn’t his ‘long game’ be to shield his own guilt by denying knowledge of how the lesser debts were forgiven?

This really would be a good weekend for a preacher to call in sick, because I, for one, have far more questions than answers, and more guesses than certainties.

QUESTION: For starters, why would the master “commend him?”

MY GUESS: Maybe because it is “prudent” to cultivate relationships that you can take refuge in when you are in trouble.

QUESTION: I wonder how many of the others actually resisted the opportunity to profit…illegally…by entering into the conspiracy?

MY GUESS: None. Some might have been so poor…so desperate…that the little relief from the big lie was irresistible. Others might have simply trusted him. After all, he was in charge. He must know what he is doing, right? Either way, they were all likely to have been drawn into the conspiracy.

QUESTION: How will it all end?

MY GUESS: The master might well “admire” the “prudence” of the bad guy in the way he has planned an escape route, but isn’t the most probable outcome a day of reckoning? That is the way of the world anyway. Who in their right mind would discover this scheme of massive betrayal and simply let it go? In the end, my guess is that the master will demand justice!

QUESTION: So, what is the “take-away” here? What is Jesus trying to teach us with this complex and confusing parable?

MY GUESS: Maybe the key is in our Second Reading, where St. Paul tells us WITH CERTAINTY…no guessing here…GOD WILLS EVERYONE TO BE SAVED, AND TO COME TO KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH.

By now, you might well be wishing that I had called in sick this weekend. Let me just say this.

I don’t think salvation is a matter of “guess work.” And, while there are times when truth is hidden, or concealed…like the dishonest servant tried to hide and conceal his treachery…if we work to uncover it…eventually we will come to the knowledge of truth…because that is God’s will.

In the spiritual realm, wondering or reflecting is much more effective than guessing. Wondering invites the Holy Spirit into the work of truth-seeking. So then, after a whole lot of guessing about what Jesus is telling us in this story…I wised up and started “reflecting,” and came up with some “wonder questions.”

I WONDER if the Lord wants us to stop thinking about “the ways of the world” and consider God’s will and God’s ways?

I WONDER if the purpose of this story is to highlight the importance of our relationships…especially our relationship with Jesus Christ?
I WONDER if the image of “writing off debts due and owing” isn’t a way of highlighting our debts…for our sins?

I WONDER if Jesus is telling us that He recognizes our poverty…our desperation…our ignorance…and wants to offer us forgiveness, healing, protection…sort of a “fresh start”?

I WONDER if this story isn’t The Lord’s way of revealing His “end game” to shield us from our just punishments?

I WONDER if the Lord is handing us the pen and telling us to discount our sin debt in our own handwriting? Could this be The Lord’s way of encouraging us to seek forgiveness before our day of reckoning?

I WONDER!

So…what do you think?

Don’t take the day off…and don’t call in sick. Ask the Holy Spirit to inspire you so that you might come to the knowledge of the truth that this complex and confusing parable holds…and in that way…be saved!