A mbrose, a 4th century bishop said: "The bosoms of the poor, the houses of widows, the mouths of children are the barns which last forever." True wealth consists not in what we keep but in what we give away. Possessions are a great responsibility.

Friday of the 31st Week in Ordinary Time

Romans 15:14-21

Psalm 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4

L uke 16:1-8 He also said to the disciples, "There was a rich man who had a steward, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. (2) And he called him and said to him, `What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.' (3) And the steward said to himself, `What shall I do, since my master is taking the stewardship away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. (4) I have decided what to do, so that people may receive me into their houses when I am put out of the stewardship.' (5) So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, `How much do you owe my master?' (6) He said, `A hundred measures of oil.' And he said to him, `Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.' (7) Then he said to another, `And how much do you owe?' He said, `A hundred measures of wheat.' He said to him, `Take your bill, and write eighty.' (8) The master commended the dishonest steward for his shrewdness; for the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.

Meditation by Don Schwager

Do you make good use of your money and possessions? Jesus seemed to praise a steward (a manager entrusted with his master's goods) who misused his employer's money. What did the steward do that made Jesus praise him? The steward was responsible for managing his wealthy landowner's property. The steward very likely overcharged his master's tenants for their use of the land and kept more than his fair share of the profit. When the landowner discovers the steward's dishonest practice he immediately removes him from his job, leaving him penniless and ashamed to beg or do manual work. Before news of his dismissal becomes public knowledge, the shrewd steward strikes a deal with his master's debtors. In discounting their debts he probably was giving up his generous commission. Such a deal won him great favor with the debtors. Since he acted as the landowner's agent, such a deal made his master look very generous and forgiving towards those who owned him money. Surely everyone would praise such a generous landowner as the town hero! Since the master could not undo the steward's cancellation of the debts without losing face and making his debtors resent him, he praises the steward for outwitting him as a generous and merciful landowner.

Jesus obviously thought that the example of a very clever steward would be a perfect illustration for a spiritual lesson about God and how God treats those who belong to his kingdom! What's the point of Jesus's parable? The dishonest steward is commended not for mishandling his master's wealth, but for his shrewd provision in averting personal disaster and in securing his future livelihood. The original meaning of "shrewdness" is "foresight". A shrewd person grasps a critical situation with resolution, foresight, and the determination to avoid serious loss or disaster. Jesus is concerned here with something more critical than a financial or economic crisis. His concern is that we avert spiritual crisis and personal moral disaster through the exercise of faith and foresight. If Christians would only expend as much foresight and energy to spiritual matters which have eternal consequences as much as they do to earthly matters which have temporal consequences, then they would be truly better off, both in this life and in the age to come.

Ambrose, a 4th century bishop said: "The bosoms of the poor, the houses of widows, the mouths of children are the barns which last forever." True wealth consists not in what we keep but in what we give away. Possessions are a great responsibility. The Lord expects us to use them honestly and responsibly and to put them at his service and the service of others. We belong to God and all that we have is his as well. He expects us to make a good return on what he gives us. God loves generosity and he gives liberally to those who share his gifts with others. The Pharisees, however, had no room for God or others in their hearts. The gospel says they were lovers of money (Luke 16:14). Love of money and wealth crowd out love of God and love of neighbor. Jesus makes clear that our hearts must either be possessed by God's love or our hearts will be possessed by the love of something else. What do you most treasure in your heart?

"Lord Jesus, all that I have is a gift from you. May I love you freely and generously with all that I possess. Help me to be a wise and faithful steward of the resources you put at my disposal, including the use of my time, money, and possessions."

Supplementary Reading

I Do

The children of this age marry and remarry . . . – Luke 20:34

T oday, my husband and I celebrate our 11th wedding anniversary. To this day, the blessing of being married to this man continues to overwhelm me. I have a husband who is no less than the embodiment of God’s love in my life. Storms have come in our marriage but his love has kept the warmth of God’s fire burning in me.

He has been patient with me. We waited almost nine years for a child. And he has taught me some of the most valuable lessons in life as we waited. He laughs with me. Every day is a joy because I know he is beside me. He supports me, encourages me and never lets me down. He loves me unconditionally.

As his wife, I’ve never felt more valued. My husband, in our 11 years of marriage, has shown me the face of God. And there is no greater blessing I can think of than knowing I will see this face every day for more years to come.

Years ago, he asked me, “Will you walk with me to forever?”

I answered, “Yes, I will.”

And if he were to ask me, “Do you still want to continue doing so?” I will answer him again and again, “I do! I do!” Lallaine Gogna

REFLECTION:

How strong is your marriage?

Lord, bless my marriage and the marriages around me. May Your love abound in us. Amen.