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Gospel: Luke 16: 1-13
Jesus said to his disciples,
“A rich man had a steward
who was reported to him for squandering his property.
He summoned him and said,
‘What is this I hear about you?
Prepare a full account of your stewardship,
because you can no longer be my steward.’
The steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do,
now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me?
I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg.
I know what I shall do so that,
when I am removed from the stewardship,
they may welcome me into their homes.’
He called in his master’s debtors one by one.
To the first he said,
‘How much do you owe my master?’
He replied, ‘One hundred measures of olive oil.’
He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note.
Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.’
Then to another the steward said, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’
He replied, ‘One hundred kors of wheat.’
The steward said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note;
write one for eighty.’
And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently.
“For the children of this world
are more prudent in dealing with their own generation
than are the children of light.
I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth,
so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
The person who is trustworthy in very small matters
is also trustworthy in great ones;
and the person who is dishonest in very small matters
is also dishonest in great ones.
If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth,
who will trust you with true wealth?
If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another,
who will give you what is yours?
No servant can serve two masters.
He will either hate one and love the other,
or be devoted to one and despise the other.
You cannot serve both God and mammon.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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The American Dream.
Kids growing up are encouraged to “dream BIG,” aspiring to become the best and brightest among us: the astronaut being launched in a rocket into space, the scientist seeking a cure for cancer, the next best athlete, the thriving entrepreneur.
We instill this belief into our children, that in America, you can succeed if you dream BIG and work hard, because it’s true.
I think of several parishioners in our community who’ve built businesses from scratch. One started with a single food truck. Another sold devices out of his garage. Another towed freight one truck at a time.
Now they’re all large-scale, successful companies.
Or think of Jeff Bezos and what he’s done with Amazon. If you heard the word, “Amazon,” 25 years ago, people would’ve thought, “It’s a river in South America or the world’s largest rainforest.” Now Amazon is one of the largest companies in the world!
People work hard for the American dream – and many achieve it.
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This is the type of innovative spirit that Jesus blesses in today’s Gospel.
There’s a man who realizes that he’s going to be fired from his job because he’s been dishonest. So, he devises a plan, not only to repay his master, but also to forge new business relationships, securing his future.
And he succeeds.
While Jesus doesn’t praise his dishonesty, Jesus does praise this man’s willingness to pivot; to work hard; to take risks; and to pull himself up by his bootstraps.
He’s creative, intelligent, and hard working.
You might say he has an, “American spirit.”
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We can all relate to him.
We know that if we are going to be successful at anything in life – whether it’s advancing our career, raising a family, leading a parish, or saving for our future – then we must be efficient and organized.
Children also know this. Think of how many young people achieve their goals in sports, music, or academics. They work tirelessly… and that’s a good thing.
The challenge in today’s Gospel is to take that same drive and apply it to our spiritual lives.
While we never take first place or the American Dream for granted, what about Jesus and his promises? Do we work as hard at loving the Lord as we do at being successful in life?
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Think of the energy it takes to be a parent today. You have to manage your own schedule, be aware of your spouse’s schedule, and your children’s schedules, which are often packed with school, sports, and a social life.
Everything is organized by date, time, and event.
Jesus might ask you to consider, “Are you equally as organized in scheduling time for the Lord?”
Certainly those of us here today can say, “yes, Lord. There’s a number of other places we could be, but we made the effort and are here today.”
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Some dads pride themselves on being handy – they’ll spend an entire weekend building something, landscaping, or tinkering in the garage.
Jesus might ask you, “Do you apply the same diligence to fixing the wounds in your family as you do to fixing the dishwasher?”
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Many young people play sports – and some more than one. They’ll practice two, three, or four hours a day! But are you as disciplined in learning about your faith?
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The Lord might say to me, “Kevin, you love to golf. You’re often practicing. But are you putting that same effort – or more – into being a shepherd of this parish?”
The Lord wants me – and, I believe we all want me – to be better than par as a pastor. (And, yes, I do my best!)
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The American Dream is built on the belief that those who work hard will be rewarded.
Being a Christian is no different.
So, “Keep striving,” Jesus says, “keep reaching, pushing, laboring to enter through the narrow gate.” It leads to far more than what the world can offer.
It leads to eternal life.
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Image credits: (1) King’s Church, Conroe (2) TV Tropes (3) Cogito