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Gospel: Luke 16: 1-8
Jesus said to his disciples, “A rich man had a steward
who was reported to him for squandering his property.
He summoned him and said,
‘What is this I hear about you?
Prepare a full account of your stewardship,
because you can no longer be my steward.’
The steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do,
now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me?
I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg.
I know what I shall do so that,
when I am removed from the stewardship,
they may welcome me into their homes.’
He called in his master’s debtors one by one.
To the first he said, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
He replied, ‘One hundred measures of olive oil.’
He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note.
Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.’
Then to another he said, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’
He replied, ‘One hundred measures of wheat.’
He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note;
write one for eighty.’
And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently.
For the children of this world
are more prudent in dealing with their own generation
than the children of light.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Many work hard to achieve the American Dream. We spend our youth preparing for college, our working years advancing our career, and in the end, we hope to leave an inspiring legacy for those who come after us.
That’s a good thing. It’s good to work hard, to be creative, to take initiative.
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That’s why Jesus praises the dishonest steward in today’s Gospel.
Though he’s made several mistakes and wasted his master’s fortune, this steward devises a scheme to repay those debts while forging new business relationships for the future.
He’s determined and creative. And because of it, he carves out a future for himself, even after being fired.
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Jesus challenges us to put that same type of effort into our spiritual lives – to be as determined to serve the Lord as we are to be successful in life.
For example, some men pride themselves on being good mechanics; they believe they can fix anything.
Jesus might say to us today, “Brothers, are you as good at fixing the wounds in your family or the wounds in your heart as you are at fixing your car?”
Or, “Do you work as hard at being holy as you do at being successful?”
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Many women pride themselves on their ability to creatively turn their house into a tastefully decorated home.
Jesus might ask, “Are you as equally creative in cultivating Christian virtues – charity, patience, and forgiveness in your family?”
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That’s the Gospel challenge – to be as determined in spiritual affairs as we are in worldly affairs.
How might we put effort into our spiritual lives today?
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Image credits: (1) SLO Classical Academy (2) St. Mary Magdalen Orthodox Church (3) Henri Nouwen, Quote Fancy
Just came to me this very moment. Interesting how I never looked at the base root word of Discipline this way~Embedded within the word Discipline, you find the word Disciple. Thanks for opening that one up for me.