以不義之財結交朋友 Make friends for Yourselves by means of Unrighteous Mammon

常年期第廿五主日（丙年）
主題：以不義之財結交朋友
作為一個中國天主教徒，今天福音中的比喻，似曾相識。對了！這是有名的「狡兔三窟」故事的福音版。這個路加福音比喻的文學性很高，人物的描寫活靈活現。一段獨白，「鋤地吧，我又沒氣力；討飯吧，我又害羞。」（路16:13）便把一個有小聰明卻好逸惡勞，恃寵生驕的奴才，活現紙上。故事中這個枉費主人信任的奴才，揮霍了主人的錢財。
我們每個人都是按天主的肖像所造，天主把世界交託給我們管理。所以，我們每個人都是一個「管家」，憑天賜的才幹，管理和發展這個世界。當我們祗顧為自己累 積利益，而沒有善用天賜才幹，造福身邊的人的時候，我們都辜負了天主的信任，我們都揮霍了天主所賜予的才幹。所以，今天福音比喻中的主角，這個恃寵生驕的奴才，其實就是我們每一個人的寫照。
到主人打算開除這個奴才的時候，這奴才思前想後，竟然給他想出一個三贏方案，獲得主人的讚賞。很奇怪，這奴才曾經浪費過主人的錢財，現在又為了自保，再進一步令主人蒙受損失，為甚麼主人反而讚賞他呢？如果大家記得「狡兔三窟」的故事，就能明白箇中的奧妙。簡單地說，這個奴才的所作所為，第一，減了少債戶的債務負擔，第二，將來這些債戶會在他被開除之後報答他，接濟他。這樣已經形成了雙贏局面。但主人呢？主人得到甚麼好處呢？主人雖然蒙受少許金錢損失，但那奴才卻為他沽名釣譽，面上貼金，何樂而不為呢？這樣做便形成了三贏局面，所以主人讚賞奴才的精明。倘若從倫理的角度考慮，從前他揮霍主人的錢財，利益歸自己，是自私的行為，主人懲罰他是合理的。今天這奴才也在揮霍主人的錢財，但他並不單祗為了自己，而是惠及他人，所以主人稱讚他，也是合理的。
天主給我們才幹，是為了管理和建設一個合乎天父旨意的世界。在運用我們的才幹時，我們獲得報酬，是合理的。工人應得他的工資（10:7）。但當收入與付出努力不相稱時，這些額外的收入，顯然就是福音中所謂的「不義之財」了。何謂「收入與付出不相稱」呢？就是支付了家庭中衣食住行的開支之後，甚至為自己及家人的未來購買了保險之後，尚有很多的盈餘，這盈餘恐怕就是「不義之財」。你可能會抗議，難道運用天賦的才幹，勤力工作，多勞多得有罪嗎？當然不是。但為了賺錢而想盡辦法去剝削工人，令努力工作的人，仍然不能糊口，今天的所謂「在職貧窮」。這樣賺來的盈餘，便是真正的「不義之財」了。耶穌基督的指示非常清楚，絕不含糊。他說，我們應該把那盈餘，那不義之財，去幫助有需要的人。耶穌並且許諾，在末日，這些曾接受過我們幫助的人，會在天主台前為我們求情。耶穌並沒有要求每一個基督徒有如聖德蘭修女一樣，愛窮人愛到自己一無所有。這樣做固然好，是成聖之路，但不是每一個人都有這樣大的恩寵可以堅持到底的。耶穌祗要求我們好好運用剩餘的金錢，時間和精神，去幫助有需要的人。耶穌這樣低的要求，適合所有人，並不過份吧。
耶穌所說的「在不義的錢財上不忠信」（16:11），是甚麼意思呢？首先，甚麼是忠信？忠信是服從，履行主人的吩咐。主人是誰？對主人忠心，就是對主人的對頭人叛逆。反過來說，對自己的主人不忠，就是對主人的對頭人效忠了！耶穌基督要求我們把剩餘的金錢、時間和精神，用來幫助窮人。履行祂的吩咐，就是忠信；祗顧自己的利益，累積財富，就是對耶穌基督不忠，對魔鬼效忠了！
今天的香港社會，地產發展商、政府、新界的地主和投資了物業的中產人仕，在處理房屋供應的問題上，就沒有照顧到窮人的需要了！樓價高企，但又不能把樓價推倒，形成一個騎虎難下的格局。結果，令新一代的年青人未能置業安家。錢，他們賺了。卻要下一代替他們「找數」，付出代價。看來，地產發展商與政府，要聯手合作，像今天比喻中的奴才，從他們龐大的盈利及財政盈餘中，成立一個置業基金，幫助那些有需要的青年人，置業安家了。
世間的財物，不是我們帶來的，是我們在生時經營管理的，死後又不能帶走的，所以是耶穌所說的「別人的財物」（16:12）。有甚麼是「屬於我們」（同前）的呢？是人與人之間的關係，是與生俱來，死後仍在，直到最後一個認識你的人也離世纔消失的。是你與天主之間的關係，在你未出生之前已開始，直至你死後仍存在，更是永世常存的。現在，相信你已懂得服事哪個主人了吧！
天主保祐。

Twenty Fifth Ordinary Sunday (Year C)
Theme: Make friends for Yourselves by means of Unrighteous Mammon As a Chinese Catholic, the parable today gives us a feeling of déjà vu. Right, this is the famous idiom of "Three Lairs of a Cunning Rabbit" in a gospel context. The literary value of the parable is high. The descriptions of characters are vivid. The image of a witty, lazy and arrogant steward jumps to life in the monologue, "I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg!" (Luke 16:3) Not only did this unjust steward waste his master's goods, he also betrayed his master's trust.
All of us were created in the image of God who entrusts the world to our care and management. Therefore, each of us is a steward. We should make use of God's given talents to manage and develop this world. When we focus on amassing benefits for ourselves and do not make good use of God's given talent to do something for the good of our neighbour, we betray God's trust and waste God's given talent. Therefore, the unjust steward in the parable is actually talking about each one of us.
When the master decided to fire the shrewd steward, the steward thought up a triple-win solution and earned the praise of the master. It was very strange indeed. This steward had wasted the goods of his master. Now, in order to save his own skin, he cost his master even more losses. Why did the master commend him? If you remember the moral of the story of the "Three lairs of the Cunning Rabbit", you will understand the intricacy of the master's commendation. Simply put, what the steward had done first was to relieve the burden of the debtors. Secondly, in the future after the steward had lost his job, the debtors would repay him and receive him. The steward had achieved a win-win situation. But what about the master, what benefits did it bring? Although the master lost some money, this steward had bought him fame of generosity and goodwill of the people. Why not? In this way, a triple-win situation was created. That was why the master commended his shrewdness. From a moral point of view, the steward wasted his master's goods to benefit himself. It was reasonable for the master to punish him for his selfishness. Today, he wasted his master's goods not only to benefit himself but also others. It was reasonable for the master to commend him for his shrewdness.
God gives us talents to manage and build a world according to His will. When we exercise our talents, we receive reward. This is reasonable, "for a labourer deserves his wages." (10:7) But when the income is incompatible with the efforts, this extra revenue is obviously the "unrighteous mammon". What does "income incompatible with the efforts" mean? When after spending on the necessities to support the family and on buying insurance for the family, there is a lot of leftover. This leftover, I am afraid, is the "unrighteous mammon". You might probably disagree. What is wrong with making good use of God's given talent to work hard and make money? Of course it is not wrong. However, in order to earn more by exploiting others to the extent that no matter how hard they work, they still live in poverty, the so called "working poor". This kind of surplus is definitely £unrighteous mammon". The instruction of Jesus Christ is unambiguous. He said, we should make use of the leftover, the "unrighteous mammon" to help the needy and he even promises that, on Judgment Day, those who have received our help would advocate for us before the Judgment Seat of God. Jesus does not demand every Christian to help the needy out of their poverty like St. Mother Teresa. This is commendable. This is the path to sainthood which not everybody has enough grace to persevere to the end. Jesus only asks us to make good use of our spare money, time and energy to help the needy. Jesus' demand is reasonable for all.
What did Jesus mean when he said, "not being faithful in unrighteous mammon" (16:11)? First of all, what is "being faithful"? Being faithful is to submit, to obey the master's instructions. Who is the master? When we are faithful to our master, we will be rebellious against his nemesis. On the contrary, when we are unfaithful to our master, we will be faithful to his nemesis! Jesus Christ requires us to make use of our spare money, time and energy to help the poor. When we do it, we are faithful. When we only focus on amassing our own wealth, we are unfaithful to Jesus Christ. We are faithful to Satan!
Today in Hong Kong, the developers, government, land owners in the New Territories and the middle class who have investment in real estates have done nothing to help the poor in the problem of housing supply. The property prices remain high but nobody dares to push them down. The whole society is caught in a dilemma. Consequently, the younger generation cannot afford to buy a flat to get married. The four parties have made a lot of money at the expenses of the future generation. Perhaps, the developers and government should work together, like the shrewd steward in the parable, to take out from their huge earnings and financial surpluses to set up a fund to help young people buy a flat and set up a family.
We did not bring wealth into this world. We only manage it during our life and cannot take it along to our grave. That is why Jesus said, "that which is another's" (16:12). Then what is "our own" (ditto)? It is the interpersonal relations we were born with. It remains beyond our death until the last person who knows us leaves this world. It is also your relationship with God which had begun even before you were born. It continues to exist beyond your death, forever and ever. By now you should know which master to serve, God or mammon!
God bless!