“United we stand, together we fall”
Amos 8:4-7; 1 Timothy 2: 1-8; Luke 16:1-13 or 16:10-13
The prophet Amos is popularly know as the prophet who promoted social justice bringing to the fore the oppression and exploitation of the poor. Today’s first reading gives credence to this opinion, and Pope Francis lends support to the crusade for workers’ rights and the rights of poor people.
Amos argues that the rich reduced the worth of the poor to mere objects: “We will buy the lowly for silver, and the poor for a pair of sandals”. This state of affairs was what attracts God’s punishment, if it persists: “you who trample upon the needy and destroy the poor of the land . . . The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob: never will I forget a thing they have done”! It seemed the die was cast, God was ready to punish; but has humanity changed since Amos’ 7th century before Christ?
A close look at the plights of the masses, in the economic distribution, in the whole world, one cannot but still see the necessity for and relevance of Amos’ prophecy for contemporary societies. In the West, jobs are exported overseas, not to provide jobs for Asians, but to exploit them, because of loose labor laws and poor human rights records of those countries, in order to maximize profit for multinationals and corporations. In the global South, human lives are bought and sold, especially in human trafficking, organ harvesting and mineral exploitation. It cannot be any worse, in the twenty-first century!
If Amos’ fundamental message is that of social justice, is the society composed exclusively of two antagonistic classes, the proletariat and the bourgeoisie? Is every rich person an oppressor of the poor and every poor person an oppressed person? Today’s gospel, with the parable of the wasteful yet astute servant, we notice that exploitation can go either way: the exploitation of the rich by the poor, and the oppression of the poor by the rich. By implication, today’s readings are inviting the rich and the poor alike to return to the basis – social justice and its importance for the survival of humanity. At creation, God’s mandate was “increase and multiple, be custodians of creation” (Genesis 1:28). This statement simply invites everybody, despite their social status, to the building of a humane society. Since this is the case, this Sunday is not a Sunday of division between the rich and the poor, with the poor as good guys, and the rich as bad guys. On the contrary, we celebrate the responsibility of all God’s children toward the creation of a just and joyful society. We are to move from a divided society into a united community, a communion of God’s sons and daughters.
Today’s gospel parable, situated in a business model, squares off fairly with what happens in the twenty-first century investment companies. No thanks to the economic meltdown of the last decade (2008-2010), corporate greed, and investors’ insatiate crave for profit caused untold sufferings on global economics and people. The poor were aggressively trying to climb the ladder of wealth, so they invested in lies and promoted corporate greed. CEOs were desperate to maximize profit in order to keep their jobs and please their employers. The poor were as bad as the rich in their inordinate pursuit of profit from hedge funds and corporate returns, no wonder scammers and ponzi schemes had a field day! This simply means that humanity has not changed, if not worse!
If Jesus uses a business model’s aggressive pursuit of profit and the deification of money or wealth in his parable today, it is because God invites us to the ultimate investment of all – eternal life. The smartness and aggressiveness of the servant, in today’s gospel, is the way every Christian is expected to fight for eternal life – give it all you’ve got! Generosity was the weapon of the astute servant, when the odds added up against him – he was about to loose his job and go begging. Although it was his master’s wealth, he made friends capable of taking him in, should he lose his job: impressive!
It is Paul, in the second reading of today, who points the direction to today’s message – universal salvation, salvation for the poor and the rich. We have a God who has no favorites, who makes not class distinction among his children; whoever does what is right is acceptable to God. According to our second reading, “[God] wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth. For there is one God” (1 Timothy 2:4-5). It follows that the apparent favoritism of God, on behalf of the poor, has become an opportunity for the salvation of the rich and the poor.
“‘United we Stand, Divided we Fall’: We are all God’s Children” is a fitting topic for our reflection today. The invitation to see that the desire for heaven and salvation binds the rich and the poor; that there is only one God for the poor and the rich; that division leaves everyone impoverished rather than stronger. We need to have the eyes that see the good in every person, and the desire to work for the salvation of all and sundry. After all, Jesus Christ died for the salvation of all human beings, whether poor or rich, oppressors or oppressed.
If Christianity must continue to be the great and resilient religion that it has always been, crusading for unity, instead of division, must be its priority. Christians must continue to see goodness in everybody, and resist the temptation of superiority complex. Yes, if God did not exterminate the people of Amos’ time, he is not about to do that now! However, our collective greedy will continue to chastise us, should we refuse to consolidate on our unity as God’s children!
Assignment of the Week:
If you’re poor, can you pray for the salvation of the rich, especially those who exploit you, this week? If you are rich, can you pray for the salvation of the poor and find ways to alleviate poverty in your immediate vicinity, all week long?