The Gospel of St. Luke, Ch. 16:1-8
Jesus said to his disciples: “There was a rich man and he had a steward who was denounced to him for being wasteful with his property. He called for the man and said, “What is this I hear about you? Draw me up an account of your stewardship because you are not to be my steward any longer.” Then the steward said to himself, “Now that my master is taking the stewardship from me, what am I to do? Dig? I am not strong enough. Go begging? I should be too ashamed. Ah, I know what I will do to make sure that when I am dismissed from office there will be some to welcome me into their homes.” Then he called his master’s debtors one by one. To the first he said, “How much do you owe my master?” “One hundred measures of oil” was the reply. The steward said, “Here, take your bond; sit down straight away and write fifty.” To another he said, “And you, sir, how much do you owe?” “One hundred measures of wheat” was the reply. The steward said, “Here take your bond and write eighty.” The master praised the dishonest steward for his astuteness. For the children of this world are more astute in dealing with their own kind than are the children of light. This can seem a rather puzzling story at first sight. The steward threatened with dismissal seeks to ensure his future security by colluding with his master’s debtors to reduce the debts they owe him. In this way he hopes to gain their gratitude and possible future help. When his master finds out what he has done he commends this shrewd behaviour while Jesus sadly comments that, “the children of this world are more astute in their dealing with their own kind than the children of light”.
What did Our Lord want to teach us by telling us this parable? St Augustine says, “It was not because the steward was a model for us to follow. Nevertheless, the worldly-wise steward had an eye for the future. So too should the Christian have this determination to secure his eternal future”. It was the steward’s quick wittedness, his decisiveness, shrewdness and firm resolve in making the most of a difficult situation which was praised. In our own lives, among our acquaintances, in the media, we see many people who go to unbelievable lengths to improve their standard of living, many who work hard to acquire wealth, fame or power. How much effort do we put into our following of Christ, to the care of our souls and to using our gifts and talents to spread his Good News. God our Father wants us to work for His glory and our own salvation with all the zeal and effort those in pursuit of worldly honours employ. God, our loving Father, help us today to work for your glory and our sanctification.
