Homily Ordinary 19C: Actions have eternal consequences

Homily for 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year C 2019 

Wisdom 18:6-9; Hebrews 11:1-2,8-19; Luke 12:32-48 

Introduction 

Every now and then, a Catholic will complain to me: “What is wrong with you priests of today?  Why don’t you preach about hell and judgment anymore?" 

After quietly digesting the suggestion that I am a wimp, I usually respond by saying that unlike Protestant pastors, what we priests preach about is dictated by the readings of the Sunday and most readings do not lend themselves to that subject.  Well, today’s readings do!  And so, for those who have been looking forward to a homily on hell-fire, you asked for it!  Here it comes. 

I never cease to be amazed at how many funeral homilies and eulogies flatly tell the bereaved that their loved one has gone to heaven.  I often wonder: "how do they know?"  For in the Scriptures, Jesus makes a point of telling us that there are many things we must do if we want to get to heaven. 

Scripture and Theology 

Take today's gospel for example.  Jesus instructs his followers to set their sights on "an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy."  And the reason for doing is this: "For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be."  In other words, if heaven is the destination we have entered into our GPS, then our hearts, our minds, our lives here on earth will be calibrated to ensure that we reach that destination. 

Then Jesus uses the image of a steward to explain how we go about preparing ourselves for heaven.  For us today, we think of a steward as that man or woman on the plane who serves us pretzels, tells us to fasten our seat belts and instructs us in the emergency procedures. 

But a steward, especially in Jesus’ time, had another role.  Basically, he was an employee who was left in charge of an estate.  You see, most landlords preferred to live in the city, but their land holdings and farms were in the countryside.  So they appointed a steward to oversee their domestic and economic affairs.  The steward collected rents, supervised the servants and kept the accounts, on behalf of the master.  Today the person that perhaps resembles most the steward of ancient times is a property manager – especially one who lives in a rented unit, while overseeing the other rental units. 

And so Jesus is telling his disciples that he is that Master who is going away and is now leaving his affairs in the hands of the disciples.  What kind of stewards are we going to be?  How are we waiting for the return of the Master, Jesus? 

I learned something about waiting when I was growing up.  When my parents separated, I often had to help look after my three siblings, when my mother went on errands or to work.  At first, like any self-respecting teenager, I chose not do what my mom asked me to do; rather, I played the whole day, bossed my siblings around and each day invented new ways to be naughty. I would then try to guess when mom might be returning and destroy all evidence of my mischief. 

Now strategy this worked sometimes, but sometimes it did not.  And I soon realized that playing Russian roulette in this way required way too much energy and planning.  I realized that it was much easier simply to do my chores and do the right thing always.  That way, I did not have to worry if mom came back earlier than usual.  And so, besides the rewards she gave me for finding everything in order, I spent my time watching and waiting with peace of mind. 

Christian Life 

There are broadly three ways a steward could wait for the return of the Master and three consequences, consequences which also correspond to the three possible destinations awaiting us after death: Heaven, hell and purgatory. 

The first way is that of the faithful and prudent steward who, when put in charge of his fellow servants, distributes the food allowance at the proper time.  Jesus says of this steward: “Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so.  Truly, I say to you, the master will put the servant in charge of all his property.”  In other words, the reward for faithfully carrying out one’s stewardship duties will be a promotion.  Earlier in the gospel, Jesus had said that the Master might even wait on his servant, as a reward for finding him at work. 

The disciple who acts in this way will receive the reward of heaven, where he will be like God, with God and know God directly, a state we hope for ourselves. 

On the other extreme is the second way of waiting, that of the steward, who is neither faithful nor prudent.  What does he do?  He says: My master is not showing up any time soon.  So he begins to beat up the menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk.  Unfortunately for him, his master will come on an unexpected day and at an unexpected hour.  The reward for him, because he disregarded his stewardship duties, is punishment and demotion.  For Jesus says that besides being punished severely, this steward will now be placed with the unfaithful. 

The disciple who acts in this way receives the reward of hell, which is eternal separation from God, a state we would not wish even for our worst enemy. 

But in between these two servants, the one that is rewarded fully and the one that is cast out, we have two servants whose manner of waiting, causes them to be punished, but not punished eternally; and the two are punished differently.   

• “That servant who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely.”  In other words a servant who knew what was expected of him, but for some reason did not fulfil his duties deserves a serious punishment, much like a disciple, who knows God's will, but does not do it, has to undergo some punishment. 
• But “the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly.”  Now you might ask: Why beat this servant, even if only slightly, just because he was ignorant of his master’s will?  This servant too deserves some punishment because he did not equip himself with all the knowledge he needed to carry out his duties.  Why be a steward at all, if you do not know what stewardship entails?  He too failed in his stewardship. 

The punishment received by both these servants is what the Church calls temporal punishment, and it takes place both here on earth and in purgatory after death.  As disciples, when we sin we need to repair the damage that our sins have caused as well as undergo the therapy we need to return to the right path.   And if we don't complete that reparation and therapy while still on this earth, we shall have to complete it in purgatory, where we are purged of whatever effects of sin remain in us, before we are admitted into heaven.  And obviously the gravity of our penance, the severity of the beating, will depend on how grievous our sin was, and how much knowledge of it we had. 

Conclusion 

And so, today's gospel should be a stark reminder for us that three possible consequences await us after death.  We must hope for and work towards admission into heaven for ourselves and others around us