9/18/2022 (Sunday) Today’s Gospel Reading: Luke 16:1-13
1 Jesus said to his disciples, “A rich man had a steward who was reported to him for squandering his property.
2 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.’
3 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.
4 I know what I shall do so that, when I am removed from the stewardship,
they may welcome me into their homes.’
5 He called in his master’s debtors one by one. To the first he said, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
6 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.’
7 Then to another the steward said, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘One hundred kors of wheat.’ The steward said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note; write one for eighty.’
8 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 are the children of light.
9 I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
10 The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones.
11 If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth, who will trust you with true wealth?
12 If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours?
13 No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon.”
9/18/2022 (Sunday) Today’s Gospel Reflection: Luke 16:1-13
The parable of the shrewd manager is about stewardship and trust. We must always remember that all resources on earth and in the other heavenly bodies belong to God. They are entrusted to us for the benefit of everybody including the generations to come. Therefore, all possessions, whether individually owned or otherwise, should be taken with utmost care. They should never be squandered.
Everyone is gifted with a resource. Whether we call them talent, time, or treasure, everyone has them. They are God-given wealth. Hence, everyone is also a steward or manager. Those with greater possessions are entrusted with greater responsibility. Then one day, God will call each one of us to give an accounting. Will God be happy with our stewardship of His properties?