LEARNING WISDOM FROM THE CHILDREN OF THE WORLD. (Homily for Friday of the 31st Week in ordinary Time, Year B.)

Bible Study:  Romans 15, 14 to 21. And Luke 16, 1 to 8.


In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus gives us a parable about an unjust steward who was to be dismissed from service. The steward having realised he would need help after his dismissal decided to call his master’s debtors one after the other and slashed down the bill of what they owed. In the end, the master of the steward commended him not for his wastage but for his shrewdness in trying to win favour from his master’s debtors.

The reason why Jesus gave this parable can be seen in verse 8 when he said: “for the sons of this world are wiser in their own generation than the sons of light.” His purpose was to show that we as children of the light have a lot to learn from the children of this world. What are those lessons we can learn from the wisdom of the unjust steward?

One, THE IMPORTANCE OF PREPARATION.
The steward was told he would be dismissed from service and he decided to prepare on time before his actual dismissal. There is a saying that Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance. When you know that something you probably do not like will happen, the best thing to do is to prepare for its likely outcomes rather than simply wishing it wouldn’t happen.

As children of God, we all know that someday we too would be dismissed from life, then we all would stand before the judgment seat of God. It would be foolishness to start wishing that we would live forever. Instead, what we must do is to prepare for our death. Every day, as long as we breathe, we have an opportunity to do something right so that when we die, our souls would not languish forever. It is never too early to start planning for your death, it is never too early to start thinking of what would happen to your children or your family members if you were to die now.

Whatever it is that we fear, it is simply wisdom to prepare for it and this is what the parable teaches us.

Two, THE USE OF MONEY IN WINNING FAVOUR FOR OURSELVES.
Money is useless if all we do with it is to pile it up. Someday, we would have to relinquish everything that we own whether we like it or not. And so, no matter how much money we gather, if we do not give it out, we would have wasted our time and efforts in gathering it in the first place.

How do we use money? Remember, that on the last day we would be judged based on these questions: When I was hungry, did you give me food to eat? When I was thirsty, did you give me water to drink? When I was homeless, did you welcome me to your home? And so on. These acts of kindness costs money and so it is purely wisdom on our part to use our money as children of light for acts of charity. In this sense, by being generous to people who have no means of ever paying us back, we would win friends for ourselves in heaven.

Three, USING EVERY MEANS TO PROMOTE GOD’S KINGDOM.
In the final analysis, the unjust steward did what he had to do so that he can sustain his extravagant lifestyle. Hence, he first thought about digging, then he considered begging before taking the option of forgiving his master’s debtors part of their debts.

As children of God, what is our primary purpose in life if not to win more souls for God? As such, we cannot continue to rely on the same outdated methods of evangelising. This parable calls for creativity on our part and willingness to employ every means possible in further promoting God’s kingdom on earth. Even if it demands using very indirect strategies.

By slashing down their debts, these men did not know what the steward was aiming at. All they could do was to thank him for having a warm heart and for considering their plight. This was the height of the steward’s creativity. So the question for us today is: “What creative ways can we employ in bringing people closer to God?”

Let us Pray:
Lord Jesus, teach me to employ every means and talents at my disposal always in preparation for that final Day of Judgment when I shall have to give an account of my life. Amen.


Good morning. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. 

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