Reading 1
Rom 15:14-21
I myself am convinced about you, my brothers and sisters,
that you yourselves are full of goodness,
filled with all knowledge, and able to admonish one another.
But I have written to you rather boldly in some respects to remind you,
because of the grace given me by God
to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles
in performing the priestly service of the Gospel of God,
so that the offering up of the Gentiles may be acceptable,
sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to boast in what pertains to God.
For I will not dare to speak of anything
except what Christ has accomplished through me
to lead the Gentiles to obedience by word and deed,
by the power of signs and wonders,
by the power of the Spirit of God,
so that from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum
I have finished preaching the Gospel of Christ.
Thus I aspire to proclaim the Gospel
not where Christ has already been named,
so that I do not build on another’s foundation,
but as it is written:
Those who have never been told of him shall see,
and those who have never heard of him shall understand.
Gospel
Lk 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.”
Meditation: Luke 16:1-8
As this parable opens, we see nothing commendable about this steward.
He has wasted his master’s money, probably using it for his own benefit instead of investing it on his master’s behalf. Yet by the end of the story, the master is commending him for acting prudently.
It’s important to understand that the steward was within his legal rights in reducing the debts of these other folks. As long as he held his post, he could remove the interest he had undoubtedly tacked on earlier in order to line his own pockets. Although his motive was essentially self-centered, his actions had another effect. They made his master look generous. That’s probably why the master praised him: By endearing himself to the debtors while burnishing his master’s reputation, he had come up with a win-win situation.
We are stewards of our heavenly Father, and everything we do reflects on him. When we act selfishly, indifferent to the effect that our behavior has on other people, we misrepresent the way things really are. We are giving the world a picture of God that is not true to the love he has for us. When we are too timid to use our gifts to help other people, we cast doubt on God’s own generosity and compassion.
On the other hand, when we give someone the benefit of the doubt, being quick to understand and forgive, we offer that person a taste of our Father’s mercy. When we use the resources that he has given us to build people up, those around us get a sense that even God is on their side and that they can begin to entrust their lives to him.
Spend a few moments today asking God to show you one talent he would like you to use in a new way. If you don’t find the answer during your prayer time, it may come in a different form later in the day. Remember that you are a steward of nothing less than the unlimited grace of God. He has called you, he has empowered you, and he will help you!
”Lord, I am your servant. All that I am and have comes from you. Help me to use these gifts in a way that helps people see what a wonderful master you are.”
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