Commending the Con Artist – Homily for the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year C

Today’s gospel account of the dishonest steward reminds me
of those con artist movies like Ocean’s Eleven or The Sting,
you know, those movies featuring criminals
who are trying to con people out of their money.
They come up with these elaborate plans,
like robbing three casinos at once,
or tricking the rich man into betting all his money on a fake horse race.
And despite the fact that they’re criminals,
we find ourselves rooting for them, hoping that their plans succeed.
And usually, somewhere in the middle of things,
the plan begins to go wrong.
But we’re so caught up in the story, we get all anxious for the con artists,
wondering how they’re going to recover,
hoping they’re clever enough to put the plan back on track.
We don’t mind that these are con artists, breaking the law.
And when the twist comes at the end,
we’re even more pleased to have been conned ourselves.

It’s interesting, the way these movies appeal to so many people.
Even though the characters are con artists,
we admire their ingenuity and their boldness.
They have a sort of roguish charm that disarms us.
I suppose it helps if they’re played by someone like George Clooney,
Brad Pitt or Robert Redford.
We find ourselves wanting the con to be successful.

That same dynamic is at work in today’s gospel.
Jesus tells the story of a dishonest steward who’s been found out,
and who now has to be clever
or face the consequences.
He’s a con artist, a conniver.

If this were a movie we could imagine George Clooney
in the role of the dishonest steward.
He works for the rich landowner who’s hardly ever home.
He handles all the finances,
managing the tenants, collecting their debts.
But the steward likes his master’s money a little too much,
and he gets caught squandering it.
This isn’t anything new for Jesus’ audience—
they have personal experience with dishonest stewards.
But here’s the first twist in the story:
the master doesn’t have the steward thrown in jail.
He shows him mercy and merely fires him.

Now we have story.
What’s the con artist going to do now?
How’s he going to survive after being fired?
Who will hire him? Where will he live?
He has to act quickly,
he’s only got a short time to figure it out.
This is where the audience begins to root for the steward.
They want to see if this clever underdog can get the better of his master.
Now Jesus has his audience hooked.

And sure enough, our con artist has a clever idea.
He quickly calls in the people who owe his master money,
and he slashes their debts.
They don’t know the steward is about to lose his job.
They think he’s negotiated a better deal for them with the master,
and it feels like they’ve just won the lottery.
They’re extremely grateful to the steward,
and he’s just made some important friends.

And what’s so clever about this,
is that the master can’t really do anything about it.
If he goes to his tenants and reverses what the steward has done,
then he looks like a man who goes back on his promises,
and comes across as stingy and greedy.
So not only has the steward made friends with people who can help him,
he’s also taken revenge on the master by reducing his income.

The master has to admit how clever his steward has been,
and he commends him—not for his dishonest squandering—
but for his quick and clever solution in a moment of crisis.

And that’s the point Jesus is making to his disciples.
He says,
“The children of this world are more prudent in dealing
with their own generation than are the children of light.”

It’s like Jesus is watching Ocean’s Eleven with us,
and at the end of the movie he says,
“You know, that Danny Ocean is a clever guy.
He’s more clever in dealing with fleeting material things
than the children of light are in dealing with everlasting spiritual things.”

Today’s gospel challenges us to reflect on whether we are using our intellectual talents and skills on material things or spiritual things.

We can be very prudent
when it comes to planning for our future here on earth.
We set up 401k’s,
and calculate how much of a nest egg we’ll need when we retire.
We take inflation into account,
and whether Social Security will be there or not.
We meet with financial advisors and reallocate the funds in our portfolios.
We set up college IRAs for the kids.
We can be very prudent in looking to our future here in this world.

How are we doing at planning for our our spiritual future?
Can we be as prudent and clever about our spiritual future
as we are about our material future?

The dishonest steward stayed one step ahead
in making sure he had a future in this life.
What would it look like for us to stay one step ahead in our spiritual life?

Maybe it would mean making an appointment with a spiritual director
the way we make an appointment with a financial advisor.
Or we might plan to make a retreat at Immaculate Heart Retreat Center
the way we plan for a vacation,
using a little calendar creativity
to arrange for babysitting or pet care
so we could be gone for the entire weekend.

The dishonest steward used his position to make friends
for his own selfish needs.
How can we use our positions to build relationships
for the sake of the gospel?
Is there someone lonely we can befriend,
someone we know who could use a companion?

The dishonest steward cleverly used the wealth he was entrusted with
to secure a future for himself.
How can we use the wealth entrusted to us to secure a future for others?
We know that the poor are precious to God.
The responsorial psalm tells us that God lifts up the poor.
The reading from Amos reminds us that God will never forget
those who would cheat the poor.
What, in God’s eyes,
is the most prudent way to use the wealth God has given to us?

And finally, the dishonest steward was a problem solver
for his own personal gain.
Can we be problem solvers for the sake of God’s Kingdom?
Human ingenuity and hard work
put a man on the moon,
made smartphone computers that fit in our pockets,
and built dams that can hold back rivers.
But can we use our problem solving skills to end poverty, war,
prejudice and violence?

That’s the question before us today.
Whom do we serve with our God-given gifts?
We cannot serve two masters,
we cannot serve both God and mammon.
If we try to do that we’re only conning ourselves.

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