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| “Saint Leo the Great” by Francisco de Herrera el Mozo, c. 1670s |
Commentary:
Reading 1: Romans 15:14-21
Commentary on Rom 15:14-21
This passage begins the conclusion to St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans. He starts by reiterating his faith in the members of the community, that they have faithfully received the Gospel he preaches and are able to apply it to one another appropriately. He continues by establishing his own Christ-given authority to bring the Gentiles to faith in the Lord, into full communion with the whole of the faithful. The Evangelist also states once more that what he has taught to the Gentiles he has received from Christ, and the same message has been proclaimed throughout his travels.
He concludes the selection by quoting Isaiah 52:15 which “…concerns the Servant of the Lord. According to Isaiah, the Servant is first of all Israel, which was to bring the knowledge of Yahweh to the nations. In Romans 9-11 Paul showed how Israel failed in this mission. Therefore, he himself undertakes almost singlehandedly Israel's responsibility as the Servant and moves as quickly as possible with the gospel through the Roman Empire.”[4]
CCC: Rom 12-15 1454, 1971; Rom 15:16 1070; Rom 15:19 693
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4
R. (see 2b) The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
Commentary on Ps 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4
Psalm 98 is a song of praise and thanksgiving. We see, in this selection, how God is praised for the strength he lends his people, and the salvation he brings to those who are faithful. It is also a song of victory that is attributed to the Lord, and one of awe for the deeds he has done on behalf of his people. We can relate the victory to the unblemished creation of the Blessed Mother.
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Gospel: Luke 16:1-8
Commentary on Lk 16:1-8
The common practice at the time this parable was told was for the steward to receive interest or commission on the amounts owed to their masters. Therefore, in this account, when the dishonest steward reduces the amount owed to his master, he is really just retrieving the actual amount owed, foregoing his own extravagant interest, hence the master’s praise. (Given that the steward was being dismissed, this “praise” was provided as an ironic statement to emphasize the lesson or logion.) The moral taught by this story is that we are to be prudent with material wealth accumulated through the use of God’s gifts. Avoiding greed, to which wealth can easily lead, will establish the person in a positive light in the next stage of existence.
Given the juxtaposition of “children of this world” and “children of light,” we also see a moral contrast implying a rather Pauline thought, that we may be viewed as foolish in our love for one another as we do not deal shrewdly with others, but act out of fairness, even charity.
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Reflection:
We cannot understate the impact of the moral of the Gospel parable about the Dishonest Steward. There is actually a sort of double warning related by St. Luke. First, avoid greed, it will lead to utter destruction (ask Bernard Madoff and his family). Greed, both corporate and individual, has been at the bottom of most of the major atrocities that man has committed against man in the recent past. Greed fuels the war in Afghanistan
Greed and the temptation to amass personal wealth has caused health care costs to be inflated as insurers attempt to maximize their profits at the expense of those who are ill, and greed is the biggest contributor to the global environmental crisis, as we look at those who seek to grab big profits by denuding forests, over-fishing the waters, and dumping wastes without the expensive precautions needed.
Perhaps the worst part of greed is that it tempts the poor and the rich alike. When we start pointing fingers at those who have profited excessively, we need to look at how they were able to profit. Was it not meeting the demands of those who did not think of themselves as greedy? Did Bernard Madoff become wealthy without individuals who thought they could become wealthy themselves? When we look at what we buy or what we acquire, do we stop to think where it came from or who may have suffered to bring it to us?
The Christian is called to form a clear understanding of conservancy, of all of the resources God has provided (please take the time to read Laudato Si’). What the Lord calls our attention to is not that it is bad to use our God-given gifts to prosper in the world, but if we are to stand before the Just Judge on the last day, we had better have been very cautious in our dealings with the secular world, knowing that what we do on a daily basis must be for God’s greater glory and not our own.
Pax
[1] The picture used today is “Saint Leo the Great” by Francisco de Herrera el Mozo, c. 1670s
[4] See NAB footnote on Romans 15:21
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