The right choice, in small and large matters

Lk 16:1-13 (1-15)

Christian astuteness: a sense of duty and of the right 'master'

(Lk 16:1-8)

We ask ourselves: is there another way of life, beyond the habit of asserting oneself in all circumstances? What causes so much friction without end or criteria, even in times of submission? What is the solution for building a common home? And what is the first concrete step for the future?

Luke speaks very clearly, crafting a catechesis probably drawn from a real-life experience that marked the environment of believers.

'Whoever is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little thing is dishonest also in much' (Luke 16:10).

In "The Death of Peregrine" [De morte Peregrini, 13], the irreverent Lucian of Samosata, a polemicist of the second century, expresses himself thus with regard to Christians:

"Their first Lawgiver persuades them that they are all brothers to one another, and as they convert, renouncing the Greek gods, they worship that wise Crucified One and live according to his laws. For this reason, they despise all possessions equally and believe them to be common, and they do not care about them when they have them. Therefore, if a shrewd impostor arose among them who knew how to handle them well, he would immediately become rich, mocking these gullible and foolish people."

Let us hypothesise the situation, probably referring to a veteran of the Judeo-Christian circle [considered in the Gospels to be that of the 'Pharisees' returning to the assemblies of the early days] (cf. Lk 16:14).

A community leader [cf. v. 14] is accused of profiting from his position as administrator of God's and the church's assets.

The Torah, specific regulations and all the official customs of the ancient East prohibited charging interest on supplies (or loans) of foodstuffs.

But in fact, behind the scenes, landowners resorted to blackmail. They withheld undue and lavish compensation on transactions.

The percentage of skimming depended on the ability to scrutinise needs and raise interest rates - even on wheat, oil and staple foods.

Even the church coordinator had allowed himself to be seduced by the prevailing malpractice, for easy gain (on the hunger of the people).

Having turned a deaf ear for a long time, the scandal emerges (among leaders and groups that boast the name Christian!).

The prominent man was cornered for a transparent account.

Then the 'caught' man chose to recalculate and align the accounts - renouncing the illicit income he had hoped to enjoy for himself.

Everything should have been made available to the faithful and for the common good, without any shady dealings (unchecked, as usual).

Although accustomed to holding his head high in society, the man finally chooses not to stubbornly continue with the incurable deception of additional quotas that were not his due.

God's treasures are to be shared, without private surcharges - so he avoids grasping at straws, pirouetting, seeking the support of accomplices or consortia [cf. v.14] and groups of cronies.

He seizes the opportunity that presents itself on his path. This is the point that Luke emphasises. And he promptly decides not to continue corrupting himself and others: a valid option.

Things are obvious, and he does not offer the kind of explanations - as unfortunately happens - that perpetuate and degenerate the situation.

He is therefore praised (v. 8) because instead of returning to feed himself and his entourage... he realises there is another possibility.

There is an Elsewhere to be perceived here; with far-sighted inner tension and fair 'shrewdness', this time not random.

The spiritual path has a stark crossroads: to ask oneself whether to start again in the style of accumulation and retention, or to focus on the quality of relationships.

No more intimidation such as: 'You don't know who I am'; 'You don't know who and how many we are' - and attempts clinging to self-interest.

No more tricks to hide and destructive subterfuges for cheerful administrative management: better to disfigure oneself personally than to be an active and silent accomplice of another 'god' (the one who gives orders contrary to the Father's advice).

An excellent work of Faith in the ecclesial experience – and the threshold of joy – is to transform resources into Life and Relationship.

This is our Guide for tomorrow and for happiness, always.

Justice and the universal destination of goods are not simple additions to devout behaviour, the meaning of which can be blurred - even where community assets are the preserve of those who have their hands and feet everywhere: cliques with good manners and bad habits.

There is another fruitfulness and functionality to the easy profits of old: not those of the liberal economy and private property, but of free Friendship, which does not hold back - the ability to recreate balance where there is none; to cultivate equality and transparency, happiness and widespread life.Sentimental spiritualism is not enough. We need to balance the books.

Once the truth has been re-established, without looking to any leading actors, 'playmates' or pressure groups, here is a good way to 'purify' even unequal wealth: use it for its intended recipients.

It is the only fair assessment, which destroys malpractice and the very strange competition between poor people without dowries and with their heads down, who seem destined only to fry.

We are called upon to use 'our' energies and resources to expand everyone's existence, instead of continuing to fight and squabble to show who is in charge.

This is - despite the mistakes that may be made - the decisive turning point for a beautiful life.

In short, the fullness of the Kingdom of God is realised through encounter, and goods have meaning as possibilities for human development (cf. vv. 9-13).

In the encyclical Fratelli Tutti, we read in no. 120:

'Christian tradition has never recognised the right to private property as absolute or untouchable, and has emphasised the social function of any form of private property. The principle of the common use of goods created for all is the first principle of the entire ethical-social order; it is a natural, original and priority right. All other rights to goods necessary for the integral fulfilment of persons, including private property and any other, must therefore not hinder, but rather facilitate, its realisation [...] The right to private property can only be considered a secondary natural right, derived from the principle of the universal destination of created goods, and this has very concrete consequences that must be reflected in the functioning of society. However, it often happens that secondary rights take precedence over primary and original rights, depriving them of practical relevance.

This basic right knows no boundaries, and the same applies to the functioning of ecclesial society - neither co-opted nor occult.

Even more so than private individuals, it must be accountable without tricks: it manages assets that are common, varied, sacred and non-exclusive.

Church leaders are the first to be called upon to overcome the unilateral nature of their role and resources, which should not be managed as if they were selective property or reserved clubs.

Therefore, spiritual leaders must be the first witnesses of this social, humanising and divine function.

They are called upon to dispose of resources in a way that is not cheerful and carefree, but with a keen sense of responsibility - without any shadow of doubt.

'Renzo gladly embraced this opinion; Lucia approved it; and Agnese, proud of having given it, lifted the poor animals one by one from the stable, gathered their eight legs together as if making a bouquet of flowers, wrapped them and tied them with string, and handed them to Renzo; who, having exchanged words of hope, left through the garden so as not to be seen by the children, who would have run after him shouting: 'The groom! The groom! Thus, crossing the fields or, as they say there, the places, he went along the lanes, trembling, thinking back on his misfortune and ruminating on what he would say to Dr. Azzecca-garbugli. I leave it to the reader to imagine how those poor animals must have fared on their journey, tied up and held by their legs, upside down, in the hands of a man who, agitated by so many passions, accompanied his thoughts, which were tumultuous in his mind, with gestures. Now he stretched out his arm in anger, now he raised it in despair, now he waved it in the air, as if in threat, and in every way he gave them fierce jolts and made those four dangling heads jump; meanwhile, they tried to peck at each other, as too often happens among companions in misfortune. [The Betrothed, chapter 3].

To internalise and live the message:

In your community, is the administration of assets public, regular and transparent, or is it chronically the preserve of individuals and groups without control?

Honest administrators - at various levels - and the common home

Mammona in small and large matters

(Lk 16:9-15)

'Ultimately,' says Jesus, 'you must decide: "You cannot serve both God and mammon" (Lk 16:13). Mammon is a term of Phoenician origin that evokes economic security and success in business; we could say that wealth is the idol to which everything is sacrificed in order to achieve material success, and thus this economic success becomes a person's true god. A fundamental decision is therefore necessary" [Pope Benedict, homily in Velletri, 23 September 2007].

The church leader who was "caught" taking advantage of the community's assets (vv. 1-8) knew how to make grand speeches - perhaps instrumental ones - about the need for solidarity, but he did not live out concrete fraternity.

Here, then, is a catechesis from Luke on fidelity in small and great things: a very timely teaching. Even today, there is no shortage of leaders who make grand proclamations... which are widely heard, but only to give themselves an air of importance.

Providing concrete help and risking one's life - putting one hand on one's conscience and one in one's wallet - unfortunately remains a difficult and rare thing.

Many find nothing better than to turn their heads away and dodge the issue, delegating blame and responsibility to 'the system', to the current crisis, etc. - not without concrete reasons or grounds.

Instead, as Pope Francis' social encyclical emphasises, a more just world is a 'laborious, artisanal' work (FT n.217).

'And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when it fails, they may receive you into the eternal tents.

He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.

If then you have not been faithful with the unjust mammon, who will entrust you with the true [wealth]?

And if you have not been faithful with another's [wealth], who will give you your own?" (Lk 16:9-12).

In the evangelist's intention, the particular story alluded to in the preceding verses was intended to serve as a concrete example for his small communities on the use of material goods.

After a mistake that even leaders can make, even unjust wealth can be put to good use for the benefit of all - to create on earth that climate of serene vitality that is indestructible, which is a trait and attribute of the divine condition.

In the authentic Church, the poor - oppressed, degraded, impoverished and made destitute by a competitive society - rediscover esteem, hope and the will to live, with the simple help of brothers and sisters who are equally needy.

In fact, all communities originally arose among the poor. Little by little, the wealthy also began to appear.

It seemed like a great opening to God's future; instead, as time passed, there was a growing insensitivity and closed-heartedness among the new wealthy classes and in the churches.

The entry of the rich - initially well regarded - brought with it many problems over time, including the internal management of collective resources.

Common goods sometimes became the exclusive preserve of leaders who seemed to no longer have clear ideas about the social role of money.

The early Christians understood that faith in the resurrection is incompatible with attachment to the ephemeral. But it was a risky condition.

In this regard, the indirect testimony of Lucian of Samosata (125-192), author of satires against superstition and credulity, which also included Christianity, is significant.

In light-hearted language, he describes in 'The Death of Peregrine' [De morte Peregrini, 13] the impact that faith had on the lives of Christians of his time, and with unconventional firmness:

'Their first lawgiver persuades them that they are all brothers to one another, and as they convert, renouncing the Greek gods, they worship that wise crucified man and live according to his laws. For this reason, they despise all possessions equally and believe them to be common, and they do not care about them when they have them. Therefore, if a shrewd impostor arose among them who knew how to handle them well, he would immediately become rich, mocking these gullible and foolish people."

The liberation from the idols of private property that Jesus proposed stimulated even the most quick-witted and established souls to appreciate the transformation of property in relation to the lives and possibilities of others.

Obviously, in order to introduce this model of sharing and encounter the outside world, the choice had to start close to home: one could not oppress sisters and brothers of the same faith and preach justice to the world.

Emancipation begins in the small circle of one's family, acquaintances and friends; in the small change of internal and daily relationships.

The fact is that God and money give opposite orders. One distracts from the other.

So sooner or later, even those motivated by good intentions can come to despise the Father, the Communion, and the ideals lived out even in summary form, and become attached to trivial shortcuts.

The official religious leaders, all united in defending the lavish earnings secured by the ancient world—which they (greedily) upheld with drawn swords—honoured the Eternal One in signs, but... they gave in to temptation.

Now deprived of both fundamental and detailed choices, the directors laughed behind Jesus' back, plotting secretly and in concert. Even today, unfortunately, they treat him as a naive dreamer (vv. 14-15).

Yet the Master continues to shout himself hoarse, so that we too may enter into his new 'proactive' Economy [as the bishops of South Africa and the recent social encyclical might define it].

An economy of gratuitousness that does not impoverish - for the 'greatest possible wealth' that extinguishes the 'desire to dominate' but makes us 'be together as human beings' (FT n.229).

Here, the small becomes significant. The challenge is open.

To internalise and live the message:

Are you generically supportive or.... fraternal in conquibus?

Have you experienced the gift that does not impoverish, but enriches?

In the ecclesial sphere, have you felt deprived, or vice versa, humanised?