Honesty Is A Lonely Word
“The person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones.
If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth, who will trust you with true wealth?
If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours?” Luke 16:1-13
25th SUNDAY Ordinary Time Cycle C
There is movie about what a woman did to save her marriage. Her husband cheated on her and had wanted a divorce. In fact, he planned to run her over with his car at dawn while she was jogging. But the man mistook and killed another woman instead. The wife however discovered what he did and coerced him then to kill instead the other woman. When the husband failed again the wife herself killed the woman and forced the husband to dispose of the body.
It is a terrible story that does not at all entertain. In one dialogue the investigator said that a big percentage of murders are crimes of passion done by the spouse on the cheating partner.
Our lawmakers will soon debate on divorce which some see as a solution to partners caught in situations similar to our story. Will not divorce instead encourage more to cheat their spouses?
The readings today talk against cheating.
Amos in the first reading condemned those sellers who fixed their scales, who sell the refuse of their products, and who give away poor people at cheap price. He warned them that God will never forget their dishonesty.
Once I was on six-hour bus trip. I bought a ham and cheese sandwich before leaving. But later on when I bit on the sandwich I realized there was no ham nor cheese at all except at the edges of the sandwich.
Jesus in the gospel of Luke talked of the dishonest steward squandering the master’s wealth. He was already caught cheating for which he was being dismissed. Nonetheless this did not stop him from cheating the master further. He himself has admitted that all his life he knew only how to cheat. Thus he reduced the debts of his master’s debtors to gain their favor once he would be dismissed. Cunning indeed he was but still dishonest.
Many of us might approve of this as we often say: “It is not cheating as long as one is not caught.”
The BCBP (Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen & Professionals) has a good motto that says: Be honest even if everyone is not.
This made me ask if it is true what Billy Joel sung in his 1978 song of the year “Honesty is such a lonely word. Everyone is so untrue. Honesty is hardly ever heard. Mostly what I need from you.”
I was a teacher for many years. I know students cheat in exams, copy assignments, buy and sell projects. I know some teachers play blind to cheating. This made me again ask “Is honesty like purity a lost cause?”
Jesus said: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life!” Jesus vouches for the truth. In fact he accused the Pharisees of only one thing, their hypocrisy.
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