For the 25th Sunday and the 26th Sunday in
Ordinary Time on Cycle C, the Gospel readings are taken from Luke 16, which has
two parables. For the 25th Sunday (Luke 16:1-13), we read the first
parable in Luke 16, and it is about a dishonest steward, who were unable to
repent his sin of mismanaging his master’s assets, as he further mishandle his
master’s money for his gain. Then, on the 26th Sunday, the Gospel
reading (Luke 16:19-31) is from the second parable, which is about the rich man’s
indifference to the needs of poor Lazarus, who was at the door of the rich
man’s mansion.
The dishonest steward in the first parable is a typical
narcissist as he manipulates not only his master’s assets but also his master’s
clients’ for his self-gain. On the other hand, the rich man in the second
parable is another type of narcissist, whose ego is too big to see his
neighbor’s needs. The dishonest steward’s narcissism manifests in his
manipulation of any object for his personal gain, while the rich man’s
narcissism makes him unable to feel for others.
By telling these parables in Luke 16, Jesus wants to teach us
that there is no salvation for narcissists. For the first parable (Luke
16:1-13), in a very satirical way, Jesus criticizes the steward’s attachment to
his ego and mammon, as obstacles to enter into heaven in Luke 16:8-9. Jesus’
saying that children of the temporal world are “smarter” than the children of
light, said Jesus (Luke 16:8) is like saying that those who are attach to
mammon and ego , like the dishonest steward, who cheat on his master’s assets,
are “wiser” than those who are honest.
Thus, this is a rhetorical device that Jesus applies satire to paradoxically
criticize the folly of the “smartness” of the steward. For the second parable (Luke 16:19-31), Jesus
straightforwardly criticizes the rich man’s indifference to the presence and
need of poor Lazarus, who was by his mansion’s door, reminding us that having
no compassion is a sin. This sin, which
may send us to hell is a sin of strong attachment to ego, making us blind and
deaf to our neighbor’s presence and needs.
Basically, a great lesson that Jesus wants to teach us through
the Gospel readings for the 25th Sunday and the 26th
Sunday from Luke 16, in two parables (vv. 1-13, vv. 19-31), is the importance
of detachment from our own ego, namely, our need of self-denial, so that we can
carry our cross as his disciples (i.e. Luke 9:23).
This year, 2016, which is on Cycle C, the memorial feast of St.
Vincent DePaul is on Tuesday of the week of the 26th Sunday in
Ordinary Time. It is no coincidence that
the Church remembers St. Vincent DePaul in a special way during the week of the
26th Sunday, on which we reflected on the problem of no compassion
and importance of charity, following the 25th Sunday, on which we
reflected the sin of selfishness and dishonesty. St. Vincent DePaul is counter
to the problems that Jesus addresses in Luke 16.
St. Vincent DePau , a 17th century French priest, is
well-known as a patron saint for charity – for his works of mercy for the
poor. He is called an apostle of
charity. He was a man of extraordinary
compassion and humility, especially peasants whose lives were torn by famine
and war. He worked around the clock in
caring for their needs, not only spiritually but also materially, as he was a
master of raising necessary funds to meet the basic needs of the poor.
Imagine if Vincent were as “shrewd” as the steward in Luke
16:1-13, in a worldly sense. He had some
wealthy supporters, who entrusted him to make the best use of their money for
the works of mercy. Had he been like the
steward, then, he could have pocketed some of the money and make himself
wealthy. Of course, St. Vincent was not “smart” in such a worldly sense, as he
sure was a child of light. He was honest and responsible in handling the money
that wealthy supporters of his ministry gave for the poor.
Because he had wealthy supporters, there was a time when St.
Vincent DePaul lives in an estate of a wealthy family as a chaplain and tutor
for the family. During that time, he
could become blind and deaf to the presence and need of the poor outside the
wealthy family’s mansion, where he lived, like the rich man in Luke 16:19-31. Of
course, that was not the case with St. Vincent. Even he was at service to the
wealthy family, living in their luxury estate, St. Vincent DePaul maintained a
monastic life style of simplicity and remained compassionate to the poor.
St. Vincent DePaul had the locus of his faith not in mammon, not
in his ego, but in the Lord. He was
detached from his ego, thus, able to always recognize the presence and needs of
the poor. So, he was able to empathize
and act with compassion for the poor, tirelessly. In this regard, St. Vincent DePaul is a great
solution to the problems addressed by Jesus in Luke 16, which we read for the
25th Sunday and the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time on Cycle
C. As we have the memorial feast day of
St. Vincent DePaul during the week of the 26th Sunday, upon reading
Luke 16, we can challenge ourselves to grow in compassion and selflessness,
namely, in agape, so that we can be
better disciples of Christ, as we do more works of mercy to our neighbors in
need.
Given Jesus’ words pointing to the judgement in eschaton (Matthew 25:31-46), recognizing
the presence and needs of the poor among us, our neighbors, as the Good
Samaritan did, is to recognize Christ among us.
Thus, responding to their needs with our compassion through our works of
mercy is to caring for Christ, who was born to poverty, symbolized in manger,
and died in poverty, as he was stripped of his garments as he was crucified.
However, the manger where Jesus was laid upon his birth is a symbol of hope and
joy. The Cross where he was put die has become a symbol of victory. Therefore,
what seems relatively unwise in a worldly sense (Luke 16:8-9) is, indeed, wise
in the eyes of God. St. Vincent DePaul is
a great testimony and example of this paradoxical truth that Jesus addresses in
Luke 16:1-13, especially in vv 8-9. Not
to mention, his abilities to raise necessary funds for his various ministries
of charities also proves that St. Vincent DePaul was trustworthy to manage the
donated assets for the poor from the wealthy patrons. That is why he earned
trust from wealthy supporters to build and run his ministries of compassion.
Trustworthiness and compassion are two outstanding characters of
St. Vincent DePaul, and the former is what was lacking in the dishonest steward
in Luke 16:1-13, while the latter is what was lacking in the rich man in Luke
16:19-13. St. Vincent DePaul, indeed, is a solution to the problems addressed
in the two parables of Jesus in Luke 16.
In order to take a lesson from Jesus’ two parables in Luke 16,
let us reflects the below words of St. Vincent DePaul so that we, too, can grow
in humility and compassion, while overcoming our tendency to ego attachment and
our weakness of faith, resulting in trusting mammon more than God.
******
Go
to the poor: you will find God.
We
should abandon ourselves entirely into the hands of God, and believe that His
providence disposes everything that He wishes or permits to happen to us for
our greater good.
The
poor have much to teach you. You have much to learn from them.
……............
Humility
is nothing but truth, and pride is nothing but lying.
When
we receive with an entire and perfect resignation the afflictions which God
sends us they become for us favors and benefits; because conformity to the will
of God is a gain far superior to all temporal advantages.
There
is nothing more holy, more eminently perfect, than resignation to the will of
God, which confirms us in an entire detachment from ourselves, and a perfect
indifference for every condition in which we may be placed.
Lord,
help me to make time today to serve you in those who are most in need of
encouragement or assistance.
It
is absolutely necessary, both for our advancement and the salvation of others,
to follow always and in all things the beautiful light of faith.
………………………
The
poor are your masters. You are the servant.
Be
careful to give no credit to yourself for anything; if you do, you are stealing
from God, to whom alone every good thing is due.
You
will find out that Charity is a heavy burden to carry, heavier than the kettle
of soup and the full basket. But you will keep your gentleness and your smile.
It is not enough to give soup and bread. This the rich can do. You are the
servant of the poor, always smiling and good-humored. They are your masters,
terribly sensitive and exacting master you will see. And the uglier and the
dirtier they will be, the more unjust and insulting, the more love you must
give them. It is only for your love alone that the poor will forgive you the
bread you give to them.
Let
us love God my brothers, let us love God. But let it be with the strength
of our arms and the sweat of our brow.
……………………….
Charity
is certainly greater than any rule. Moreover, all rules must lead to charity.
Humility
and charity are the two master-chords: one, the lowest; the other, the highest;
all the others are dependent on them.
Therefore it is necessary, above all, to maintain ourselves in these two virtues; for observe well that the preservation of the whole edifice depends on the foundation and the roof.
Therefore it is necessary, above all, to maintain ourselves in these two virtues; for observe well that the preservation of the whole edifice depends on the foundation and the roof.
As
it is most certain that the teaching of Christ cannot deceive, if we would walk
securely, we ought to attach ourselves to it with greatest confidence and to
profess openly that we live according to it, and not to the maxims of the
world, which are all deceitful. This is the fundamental maxim of all Christian
perfection.
Humility
and charity are the two master-chords: one, the lowest; the other, the highest;
all the others are dependent on them. Therefore it is necessary, above all, to
maintain ourselves in these two virtues; for observe well that the preservation
of the whole edifice depends on the foundation and the roof.
As
it is most certain that the teaching of Christ cannot deceive, if we would walk
securely, we ought to attach ourselves to it with greatest confidence and to
profess openly that we live according to it, and not to the maxims of the
world, which are all deceitful. This is the fundamental maxim of all Christian
perfection.
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