Weekly thoughts on the Sunday Gospel, readings or a topic...

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seeing your life through the lens of the gospels – Luke 16:1-13
1. As often with the parables of Jesus, this one is intended to shock in order to make us think. Jesus is not praising the injustice of the servant, but his purposefulness in preparing for the future. In your experience, what difference does it make when you are purposeful and energetic instead of lethargic?
2. It was his master’s call to account that galvanised the servant into action. What have been the experiences, or people, that have galvanised you into action when you had been somewhat half-hearted in your efforts?
3. Who have been the people whose energy, drive and astuteness have been an inspiration to you in how to handle difficult situations?
4. ‘No servant can be the slave of two masters.’ When have you experienced the truth of this statement?  – John Byrne, OSA

The Deep End
If you think that all the parables that Jesus told were nice stories about people of integrity then today’s parable will surely make you think again. This is a parable about a scoundrel, yet it praises him and his wisdom.
The manager has been given notice by his CEO and he decides to even up the tables, while he still can, for those who are struggling to pay their debts to the company. The manager is praised for his astuteness, he has his priorities straight, he is happy to let debt go, to redistribute the load. Of course, there is self-interest on his part but Jesus is telling us that the only value the money really has is in the way it is disposed of and in doing this the manager wins the hearts and minds of the workers.
The manager won’t be the most successful man on the planet compared to the ‘children of the light’ who are more concerned with accounts than with real people. The manager is free-spirited and can be trusted to value what is really important. He knows that none of this material wealth is permanent and uses the authority that he has to relieve the suffering of those who are indebted to his company. Yes, he is a bit of a scoundrel, but Jesus liked scoundrels, once their efforts were put to good use.
‘God’s dream for creation is different from Pharaoh’s dream or Rome’s dream or Wall Street’s dream. And at the centre of God’s economy is the idea of redistribution ... It is an invitation to holy mischief!’ (Shane Claiborne)  – Jane Mellett

(from Intercom)