Gospel Thought for Today
5th November: Friday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
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.
Reflection:
Reflecting on her near-death experience, Maria von Trapp wrote, “[W]e should take great care what is said and done in the presence of the dying. While they are fighting their last decisive battle, it would mean such a help if they could hear us talk to them about the mercy of God, about having trust and confidence. One day we shall have to take that same step too. This might be the best preparation.” We are all God’s stewards. There have been moments when we faithfully looked after what He has entrusted to us – life, family, community, wealth, etc. However, there were also occasions when we behaved like the steward in today’s Gospel. Before it is too late, let us make amends and prepare for when the Lord calls us to account.
- How important is prudence for you?
- How do you prepare for death?
- What lessons can you learn from near-death experienced by either you or a loved one?
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your Word today. Knocking at the door of Your Most Sacred Heart, we ask for Your forgiveness and the grace to be prudent so that we may live confidently in Your goodness. Amen.
