Search
-
25th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Yr. C
Prudent Stewardship!
The prudent steward is not a model of repentance. He makes prudent calculations of his master’s property to show mercy that is driven by selfish motive and not true mercy. He is only an example to us that: “what we have belongs to another: Our Master.” The world and all it holds belongs to God, not to us [Psalm 24]. Jesus does not praise the dishonesty of the steward, but rather his cleverness in acting decisively in a moment of crisis. Shrewd people know that action taken today will store up goodwill and favor in the future.
All the money in the world could not pay the debt we owe our Master, so He paid it for us. He gave His life as a ransom for all: “There is one mediator between God and humanity, the man Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all,” we hear in today’s Epistle. We must choose to be “servants of the Lord,” as the psalm exhorts. We serve Him by what He has entrusted us with: time, talents, treasures and energy, to give alms, and to lift the lowly. This goes with the reward of the “many mansions of the Father’s house,” [Jn.14:2].
Jesus in this parable is reminding us of what He calls the very first and greatest of all the commandments: “to love the Lord with your whole heart and soul and strength,” and also with your mind, that clever mind that the fired manager used as a means to the higher end of worldly friendships and that we also ought to use for the higher end of friendship with God. We pray in the ‘Lord’s Prayer’ for grace to stay focused on our call to the truly good life, that we do not succumb to the temptation to wander from the path of life.
Jesus differentiates between two categories of people: “children of the world and children of light”. What is our goal in life, as children of light? Our primary goal should be love, service and glory of God. This teaches us that radical love demands a radical response and any compromise in this regard will result in our missing the destination. We must follow God’s commandments in our lives and instead pursue a path of holiness and perfection. Every other goal should fall into place when this is our central goal.
Most people of our age and culture diligently work to make their lives secure, comfortable, and influential here on earth, compromising the kingdom’s values, devoting countless hours to hobbies, entertainment, home improvement etc. Many experience Sunday Mass as a burden, and charitable service can become undesirable. However, the children of light are shrewdly committed to kingdom values and live their lives focused on God. Devote a significant amount of time and energy to daily prayer, studying the scripture, learning catechism, studying the lives of the saints, etc. We must be astute in seeking God’s kingdom and its values.
While it is true that our time needs to be devoted to the ordinary duties of life, such as caring for home and family, it is also true that most people need to reorder their priorities by making sure that the Will of God is the central mission of our lives. When we spend most of our time and energy on the ordinary aspects of life, this becomes grace-filled and becomes a way by which we glorify God