At Your Service

I’m not exaggerating in the least when I tell you I read this parable more than 20 times and still had a challenge trying to figure out what in the world Jesus was getting at.

A master commending his dishonest employee for acting prudently?

Making friends with dishonest wealth? 

What in heaven’s name does that  mean?

Maybe a modern-day spin will help drive home what Jesus is getting at:

The story is told of a senior executive at a large bank in North Carolina who oversaw many employees. She was never overly-concerned about them, though, living in her own little world while at work. She did her job efficiently, and constantly strove to climb the ladder of success ... for herself only.

One afternoon, she happened to glance at an office memo not intended for her to see. She was going to lose her job at the end of the week. There were no other positions to pursue. She was done.

So, she thought to herself: why not go out with a bang? She had never really used any of the budgeted money to increase morale … so she threw a luncheon the day before she knew she’d be called in to HR. “I’ll just spend their money … HA!”

Her staff was shocked, but delighted. That Thursday afternoon may have been one of the happiest she had seen her co-workers …

And when she was summoned to HR on Friday, she could sense the atmosphere of her department had changed for the better.

So, quite frankly, her self-centered act still made a positive difference. She made a good thing happen from “dishonest wealth.” And because of that, others found some joy. Productivity increased. And, one could say, that bank department actually flourished a bit.

So … Jesus is saying it’s okay to be dishonest to bring about happy outcomes?

No.

But what he is suggesting is this:

Life as we know it is messy. Really messy:

People can be liars and dishonest at work. Neighbors and even friends may only be looking-out for number one. The loyalty of companies and political parties and the institutions we once trusted can be fickle.

And Jesus says: work with what you got.

Where there is no love, bring it. Where there is only selfishness and back-stabbing, work around it and try to change it. Don’t become a part of the selfish, greedy status-quo.

And, yet, at the same time: don’t circle the wagons either … living some sort of cloistered, “boxed-in” Christianity.

Often the tendency is this: when the world gets messy, don’t engage it at all … Live in a Catholic, safe bubble.

But I’m not sure that’s what Christ is recommending here:

When he tells us we can’t serve two masters, what’s he saying is NOT that we can’t live in the world – but that WE HAVE TO KNOW HOW TO INFUSE THE WORLD WITH FAITH, and make it a PRIORITY.

We have to bring Christ to the world, never losing sight of HIM.

We all have opportunities to do so every day, and maybe those ways can be a little sly, so to speak.

So when someone is gossiping, change the conversation by mentioning a good trait of the one being whispered about.

When Debbie Downer or Grumpy Gus keeps raining on your parade, keep showing them a positive alternative.

When a company is about profits only, keep reminding the employees that THEY matter.

It really doesn’t take much, and it is often the little ways in which God’s Kingdom grows. What does Jesus remind us? “The person who is trustworthy in small matters is also trustworthy in great ones.”

Paul says it, too, in his letter to Timothy: “Lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity.”

When we get too caught-up in the ways of the world, we lose our peace.

When we try to compartmentalize our faith into an hour on Sunday, we lose our way.

When God is an afterthought, our paths become a little less clear and peaceful.

So was the bank executive 100 percent virtuous in her gift to the employees? Of course not. But, she used the situation she found herself in and made it a little better – a little happier – for others. And she saw the effect it had.

Maybe it changed her heart a bit, too. That’s usually how God operates …

Every day of our lives, we are asked the question: Whom will you serve?

Is it Christ? Is it to help others heal and find joy, even when life is messy?



Or is it all about my own needs?

Whom will you serve this week ahead? The Christ in others … or the god I’ve made out of my own needs and wants?