Faith

Bad guy, good lesson – Friday, 31st Week in ordinary time – Luke 16:1-8

The parable of the prodigal son is followed by the prodigal servant. Prodigal simply means wasteful. He is the prodigal servant because like the prodigal son (Luke 15:13) the very words are used to describe his action; he too “squandered (diaskopizo in Greek) his (the master’s) property. (Luke 16:1)

While charges were brought against the man for cooking the books (verse 1) the master who is described as a “rich man” acts on “hear say” (verse2) demanding the accounts (logos) and dismissing the man in the very same breath. By default, slaves were considered dishonest. In fact, they could not serve as witnesses in court except under torture.

Note that the manager remains silent when the owner accuses him of being guilty of mismanagement. The manager seems resigned to his faith either because he knows he has truly squandered the master’s money or simply because he is unable to fight the forces that are against him. From the narration that follows it seems to be the former; he is a full-blown crook as the manager then forms a devious plan to swindle his master while securing his own future.

Interestingly the manager is in touch with reality. He knows that age is against him and physically he is unable to work. He also seems to have developed some social standing which would cause him embarrassment should he need to borrow or beg as the word appears in the text. Ironically the man may have been ashamed to beg, but he wasn’t too ashamed to steal! Unfortunately, there are a lot of people like that today. So, before the sun sets on his last day at work he comes up with a clever plan that will continue to keep him in good societal standing. He gives his masters creditors a large discount waving off much of their debt.

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Faith

1 of 100… 1 of 10 –  the VALUE of ONE – Thursday, 31st Week in ordinary time – Luke 15:1-10

It is the nature of God to seek the lost. In the other religions of the world, man is seeking and searching for God, but in the Christian faith it is the God of the Universe who comes seeking and searching for you! It is for this reason that Luke chapter 15 has been called “the gospel in the gospel,” as if it contained the very distilled essence of the good news which Jesus came to share.

There was a double standard applied to Jesus. He could dine with the upper crust of society without reprisal, but anytime he dined in the home of a commoner, he was criticised – even reprimanded because he ate with “publicans and sinners” as if he had committed a criminal offense. This is the context of Luke 15 and the context of three parables, two of which are unique to Luke; the lost coin and the lost son. In each of these stories, the plot line is: something is lost. A sheep is lost, a coin is lost, a son has wandered away from home. It reveals the heart of God, who searches out for the lost.

The parables are directed towards the scribes and Pharisees (15:1-2) because they do not like the fact that Jesus welcomes everyone unconditionally; they did not like the people with whom He was hanging around. So Jesus reveal something vital; we are valued by God to be of great worth because we are His.

In every story, what is lost is of great worth to the one to whom it belongs. They are lost, not merely left somewhere and become separated from its rightful source. What’s interesting is that each could arguably be seen as having limited value. For example, anyone owning a hundred sheep in Jesus’ day would be very well off considering that most Palestinian farmers might own ten or fewer sheep. Yet there are some things that are loved because they are valuable and some things that are valuable because they are loved. For Jesus, no one is just part of the crowd.

The parable of the sheep also appears in the Gospel of Matthew 18: 10-14. Its’ interesting to note that sheep fit in a very unique category among animals. Many animals may be able to find their way back home but sheep are not one of them. Even more, they have no natural defences. Almost all animals have either claws, sharp teeth, quills, a hard shell, or speed to escape predators but not a lamb; they have no defences.

The wilderness of Judaea was and is hilly and has many places sheep could navigate but humans can’t, which could make the sheep difficult to find. The myriad predators  would have rendered the sheep vulnerable. The shepherd looks for the sheep with ostensibly little hope of finding it or finding it alive. Against all odds to the contrary, the shepherd discovers the sheep and restores it to the flock.

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Faith

Excuse me ! Tuesday, 31st Week in ordinary time – Luke 14:15-24

If Jesus ever turned down an invitation to dinner, there is no record of it. As one commentator put it, Jesus ate his way through the Gospels. Today’s text is the third and final part of a three-part pericope that forms part of a dinner that Jesus is invited to at the home of a leader of the Pharisees (Luke 14:1)

At this dinner Jesus exposed their clamour for power and their mutual admiration society to which only fellow bat-patters were invited. For the Lord, it was those whose love was truly genuine, who would be rewarded at the resurrection of the righteous. Jesus’ words must have caused all of those present at the meal great discomfort. Jesus had effectively exposed and rebuked their sinful ambition.

Hearing the mention of the “resurrection of the righteous,” a clear reference to the coming kingdom of God, one man saw a way to defuse the situation, and so he called out, “Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” This man, like the other Pharisees, assumed that if anyone were to be at this messianic meal, this banquet of the kingdom of God, it would be people like him.

Realising they had lost the plot; Jesus tells them a parable in which he portrays the kingdom of God as a festive meal. This motif of a festive meal is common in the Bible. To this meal, those invited refused to come, each one making an excuse. The story presents God as being disappointed and even angry that those chosen, namely the Jews represented by the Pharisees, do not respond. Whatever anger God has does not last; the empty chairs at the banquet are to be filled by people who might not expect an invitation.

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Art/ Heritage

THE BOMBAY SEMINARY: The Coat of Arms

 As you walk across the wide portals and tall pillars of the Bombay Seminary you are ushered into the parlour where you await your appointment. Glancing around the room, your gaze rests upon a unique shield set against the wall. Its iconography adds a burst of colour to the white surface. Intrigued, you walk up to the icon for a more detailed glance.

Your absorbed attention is interrupted by a kind hello. You turn to find a seminarian who introduces himself and gives you a little booklet that contains a detailed understanding of the shield. Thanking him, you zestfully get back to explore the shield, its unique symbols, and interesting history. The text begins:

The Diocesan Seminary of Bombay at Goregaon has its Coat-of-Arms designed by Rev T. Molina S. J in 1960. But first, let’s consider the question ‘What is a Coat-of-Arms’?

A Coat-of-Arms is an important hereditary device borne on a shield dating back to the medieval period. The term in origin refers to the surcoat worn by combatants with a heraldic design. It serves to denote identity, purpose, family descent, profession, alliance, etc. However, we need not enter into the intricacies of heraldry.

It is important to note this art that developed in the Middle Ages was not restricted to the royal families, the princes, and the knights. The ecclesiastics, who also shared in the love of symbolism imported Heraldry in the Church which was further developed and termed ‘Ecclesiastical Heraldry’. While there is freedom in the selection of symbolism, the fundamental rules to be followed are common to all, lay adepts included.

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Faith

The way up is down! – Saturday, 30th Week in ordinary time – Luke 14:7-11

Jesus has been invited to a dinner by a leader of the Pharisees at which an elite group of Pharisees have  also been invited. Luke 14:7–14 is the third dinner invitation that Jesus accepts from a Pharisee (Luke 7:36–50; 11:37–43). Yet it becomes quite clear that these were conspirators who were posing as friends.

Even though Jesus shared several meals with Pharisees (Luke7:36), they often complained about his choice of (other) table-fellowship companions (Luke 5:30) and about how his associates secured food on the Sabbath (Luke 6:1-4). Unlike his cousin John the Baptist, Jesus loved food and his disciples followed suit (Luke 5:33). He doesn’t even deny the charge that he enjoyed more than his share of wine at many meals (Luke 7:34)

But this dinner is quite clearly marked with hostility and is more a trap than a treat meant for Jesus. They thought that they were watching him but as we are told in verse seven, he was watching them. This is not the first time they have been watching him closely. In Luke 6:7 they are watching to see if Jesus would heal on the Sabbath. Whenever the verb ‘Paratereo’ (“keep alongside”) is used (which translates as watching in English) it is done so not  to merely indicate some fascination or curiosity but as one waiting to test another.

At this meal Jesus raises two issues. The first issue deals with humility in the face of the Pharisees clamour for the seats of honour. At the time of Jesus people sat in a triclinium or three sofas placed in a ‘u’ formation. The host sat in the centre and that was the place that Jesus would have been offered. I like to think that Jesus was conscious of his own privilege at that meal.

When Jesus advises the guest to take the lowest places, He was not giving them a “gimmick” that guaranteed promotion nor was this parable about banquet etiquette. This was an occasion when Jesus wanted to teach what genuine humility was all about. He was teaching the Pharisees that it was better to be humble than humiliated; for in our endeavour to get to the hall of fame we might end up walking into the hall of shame.

Many people misunderstand Christian humility. C.S. Lewis once said, “True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.” Jesus is the greatest example of humility, and we would do well to ask the Holy Spirit to enable us to imitate Him (Phil. 2:1–16). One way we can perhaps get better at being humble is by showing honour to others. Give others the bigger piece. Give others first place. Give others the better seat. And be content!

Jesus also addressed another issue. He wants to teach us about the way we treat others, especially those among us who unable to “pay us back.” Jesus advises his dinner host, a leader of the Pharisees, that his guest list should not be limited to those within and above his social class. Today sadly the emphasis is on status rather than on character and that determines our guest list.

Jesus points out to him that his “quid pro quo” game is nothing but a fake show of hospitality; it was conditional love. Real love is unconditional because it is about giving without expecting anything in return. Wealth and position are a blessing when shared and used for the betterment of humanity. We often confuse privileges with blessings. In short, the way up is down!

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