Wow, that gospel is a rough. It sounds as if Jesus is actually encouraging us to do bad things, that is, to reduce the price for someone else. But let me try and explain, what I think, Jesus intends.
[I invite staff member, Mo Putnam, to the altar area. I then banter back and forth with her, asking if she likes the color of the vestment on me. I eventually give her a compliment about the blouse that she is wearing, and how it accentuates her eyes.]
[I say in a whisper to congregation] You see, I can’t tell what color she was wearing because I am color-blind and can’t distinguish my reds and greens. So I was just making all that up, to make her feel good. It is what we call a white lie. It is a lie (which is against the 8th commandment) but there is a greater good in store. That is, I wanted to make Mo feel good.
Now for this homily, I am talking about adult spirituality. This is not for kids or teens. You need to obey what your parents tell you to do. But for you adults, there are certain things we do, judgements we make . . . which seems to be wrong, but they are done with the bigger picture in mind. For example, when someone asks if they look fat, or when someone just spent a lot of money on a new hair-do and you don’t really like it (but they do), or someone worked really hard on his homily and you fell asleep (again). You don’t tell the exact truth. There’s something bigger to pay attention to. This happens with especially to those we care about.
Now I am not saying that lying is good, but it gets closer to what Jesus was referring to in the gospel parable when the master praises the dishonest student for acting prudently. Sometimes, the bigger picture is more important than the issue itself.
Voting is another example. A few years ago, one of the ministers in Princeton told his congregation that if they voted for such-and-such, it would be a sin. Then four years later, as he told the entire group of pastors, he apologized to his congregation, saying that he was wrong to tell them that voting for such-and-such was a sin. Because, like with many things, when we vote we need to look at the bigger picture and vote accordingly. There has never been, and unfortunately maybe never will be, a candidate on any level who completely satisfies ALL the criteria from the US Catholic Bishops about all the issues that the Catholic Church supports. So we always have to look at the bigger picture . . . and not vote for someone because of only one issue or aspect.
Think bigger, as Jesus alludes to. But it is larger than white lies or voting. It has to do with our very integrity and who we are as Christians and Catholics. Lately I have been meditating about what it means to be HOLY. As the writer of that second readying says that supplications, prayers, petition and thanksgiving be offered for everyone, so that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity. For me, it means NOT that we need to be perfect (as many of the saints were not) but that we keep before us the bigger picture of what God wants for us.
Jesus goes on to say that we cannot serve both God and mammon (or money). That means, if our bigger picture is concerns with how much money we are earning, or how can we save up for retirement, or what we need to buy . . . then we are doing it wrong. Then we are probably someone NOT to be trusted. If our bigger picture is only about ourselves . . . and making sure that we “look good,” are successful, have everything in control, then we are probably doing it wrong.
But . . . there is another way. So this week as you face the concerns and difficulties of your life. Start thinking of the bigger picture. That doesn’t mean you can’t make mistakes, but it may mean that you pause more. Think a bit. Ponder. Then ask, “God what do you want for me?”