September 19, 2004: Plotting & Planning to Do Good

The Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time




Today, the prophet Amos expresses his amazement at how ingenious some people are when it comes to carrying out evil. They plot and plan and connive and leave nothing to chance.

“Hear this!” shouts Amos. “You crush the poor and take advantage of the weak. And not only that! You have the nerve to ask when the Sabbath and the feasts will be over so you can go back to work crushing the poor and taking advantage of the weak! You demand more, give less, and shamelessly even fix your scales for cheating!”

Yes, even back in ancient times, there were people who tried so hard to give the impression that they were upstanding citizens—they made a great show of observing all the religious holidays and customs and traditions of their time—but they really cared only about themselves and their pocketbook. They schemed and worked hard and paid bribes so they’d always come out ahead. Amos is convinced that it took quite a bit of time and effort to make all that happen without getting caught! Why, these people even paid off the authorities… so if they were ever called to account for their actions, no judge would ever convict them. Air tight.

Of course, we see the same kinds of things in modern life. We hear of intricately planned schemes and crimes—major swindles and frauds… and even the terrorist plots of our day involve tremendous planning and duplicity. Evil doesn’t happen by accident; it takes forethought, creativity and audacity.

Jesus tells us the same thing in His story of the unjust steward in the Gospel today.

“What shall I do?” asks the employee caught red-handed, “now that my master is going to fire me? I know!” he says—and you can just see the Grinch’s evil grin!—“I’ll doctor the amounts on the books that my boss’ customers owe, so they’ll be grateful to me for saving them money… and they’ll owe me.”

Even the ripped-off master congratulates this scoundrel for being so clever. He’s one smart cookie.

And then Jesus delivers a great punch line: “For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.”

The message is pretty clear—and equally biting: if good people worked as intensely to bring about the good as evil people do to accomplish evil, we’d be living in one incredible world!

Christ reminds us, “You cannot serve both God and mammon.” In other words, if we are not working actively to do the good, then we’re turning over the store to folks who are plotting evil. There is no middle ground. You can’t be neutral. You have to choose a side… and not choosing is actually choosing evil.

This is the message that St. Paul tries to explain to Timothy. He writes that we should be able to live a “quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity,” so we can live the kind of life God wants for us; He “wills everyone to be saved to come to knowledge of the truth.” Faith cannot be a part-time endeavor… not even an every Sunday endeavor. Because while we’re sitting back, the evil is going on with all due speed.

I think a lot of people don’t see any need to plan, much less schedule, doing good. That would make it too rigid… or artificial… or structured. Yuck. Bad. Rigid.

But isn’t that exactly what we need to do? Here’s how I’m going to be good today… and you make your checklist: I’m going to do A, B, C and D.

The bank robber does it. The terrorist does it. The tax-cheat does it. The murderer does it.

But the good person—the man or woman or teenager or child striving to be a saint—simply coasts along in mindless bliss? No. Doing the good takes every bit as much effort and attention… with one small difference: those doing good can call confidently upon the Holy Spirit for guidance and assistance. And that, my friends, is one pretty big plus.

Today, as we are able to relax and picnic and enjoy the company of the Body of Christ, let us remember that Jesus who is among us teaches that faith and goodness are the most important dimension of our existence. While spontaneous good works are great, our Lord expects us not just to avoid evil, but to replace it with deliberate, thought-out good. May we take this message to heart today and always.

Amen!




Today’s Readings:
Amos 8, 4–7
Psalm 113
1 Timothy 2, 1–8
Luke 16, 1–13