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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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Why does Jesus praise a dishonest steward in today’s Gospel? The man was just fired for squandering his master’s property!
After his dismissal, the man devises a plan, not only to repay some of his master’s debts, but also to forge business relationships of his own for the future.
This man digs himself into a hole and is determined to pull himself out. This is why Jesus praises him – he is entrepreneurial, determined, and creative.
If he applied these same skills to strengthening his spiritual life, then eventually he’d become a saint!
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Therein lies the challenge for us.
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Most of us have found some level of success in this world, having gone to college, climbed the company ladder, or achieved some of our worldly dreams.
We can also spend years of our lives preparing our children to do the same.
But are we as determined, disciplined, and willing to sacrifice in order grow in our spiritual lives?
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If we are, then we will not only become holy, we will also win the friendship of God.
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Image credits: (1) Our Sunday Visitor (2) Psephizo (3) Deeper Roots, WordPress