The Dishonest Steward
Why was the master pleased with this dishonest steward? After all, it seems this was a rather selfish, prideful man who stole from his master. This steward only had his own interests at heart. Let’s review what we know about him.
- His Needs – He was aware of his needs and he placed them above his master’s interest.
- His Surveillance – He had taken a survey of his master’s estate and made determinations as to its appropriation.
- His Master’s Estate – He used his master’s rightful property for his own gain.
Knowing that he is not a child of the light we can further assume this steward squandered his master’s property on worldly things. This is behavior of those who are enemies of the cross of Christ, which as Paul tells us today, ends in destruction. Paul also goes on to tell us that the glory of such individuals is their shame. What does this mean?
Shame
In ancient Rome, Pietas was of utmost importance. And remember, our beloved Paul was previously a Roman soldier before Jesus called him. Pietas, meaning virtue, right (religious) behavior, duty, loyalty and devotion was at the core of the fabric of ancient Roman society. Above all one must live an honorable life – especially a soldier! It would be better to die then live a life without Pietas and many choose death over threatened, or real, dishonor and shame. So what was Paul saying to the Philippians? Quite simply, he is saying that those who conduct themselves as enemies of the cross flagrantly live a life of shame. They find their joy in their shameful behavior and they make no excuses for their shameful behavior. Sounds like today’s world a bit doesn’t it?
Actions of the Dishonest Steward
So what actions did the dishonest steward take? Well, he must have analyzed his master’s estate – taking note of the assets. Yet, he was not concerned for his master’s well-being, rather, his main concern was his own well-being and survival. He was driven by sin, pride, and he was resistant to the virtue of humility. In a nut shell, this guy was out to have a good time while living off his master’s estate doing who knows what – a typical child of this world.
For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? – Matthew 16:26a (RSVCE)
This World
We must remember that the world Jesus is talking about in Luke today, the world that is not wholly orientated towards God, is the world we still live in today. Jesus talks about the ruler/prince of “this world” is in several passages in the Bible. This ruler is Satan – the Evil One. And I believe this is the key piece to this parable – this world is governed by Satan and his forces. You see, this world contains the yeast of Original Sin and it permeates throughout because mankind, knowingly and unknowingly, participates in its expansion through continued sin.
The “Good” Worldly Steward
In light of this how can the master commend the steward for acting prudently? To begin, we must examine whether this master was a child of the light or of the world. If he is a child of the light, then his heart is good and properly orientated towards God. Such a master would have have been pleased to see the steward desiring good relationships with others. However, if he is indeed a child of the light then we would wonder if he had previously rebuked this servant for his other sinful behavior. If he is a child of the world then we might wonder what he was up to. Did he have something to gain by this steward’s behavior? Either way, we can see a distinction between the children of the world and children of the light.
Children of the Light
So what can we do, those of us who seek to be God’s children – children of the light? Perhaps we can take a page from the dishonest steward’s playbook while remaining ever mindful of who our master is – God himself.
- Our Needs – We must remain aware of our dependence on God’s mercy and grace. We are created in the image of the living God who placed within our hearts a profound desire to know and serve him. In order to do this we must die to ourselves so that God can properly guide us.
- Our Surveillance – We must grow in our awareness of God’s estate so that we can do our part in its appropriation. While we will never know the vastness of our master’s estate, we are called to understand it a bit. In his estate we will find the currency of love; love for God and love for our brothers and sisters. With love we can obtain one of its greatest assets – forgiveness.
- Tending to Our Master’s Estate – We must, out of humility, empty ourselves so that God’s will can be done in and through us. Think for a moment what the world would look like if we, children of the light, ignited with humility, went out into the world and shared with its children the truth of our loving master? The truth that we are all loved and we are all wanted by a loving master – whether we know it or not.
For thou lovest all things that exist, and hast loathing for none of the things which thou hast made, for thou wouldst not have made anything if thou hadst hated it. – Wisdom 11:24
What if those who owed our master a debt (we all do by the way), took the steps necessary to become free and found the subsequent bliss of such freedom? Debts that are created through anger, unforgiveness, rage, blame, pride, excessive worry, and on goes the list can all be released and these children don’t know this. What if we could go to them with love and show them that the freedom they seek is possible and it can be found exclusively in our Master. Think how many children of the world, children like the dishonest Steward, would change teams and chose team God when they learn the truth that God loves them.
Your Stories
Many of you have shared your stories of heartache with me here. My heart is profoundly touched by your stories and your beautiful comments. In my attempt to be a worthy child of light I pray for all our readers. Indeed, we all carry heavy burdens in this world today. I believe the healing tonic the world needs today if forgiveness – it has power to free our hearts. Sometimes it feels impossible, I understand. However, forgiveness is a journey my friends. And like all journeys, it will have highs and lows.
US Election
I understand that not all of our readers are from the United States; however, we are all part of the body of Christ, and given this, we are all effected by the upcoming US election. No one lives in a vacuum today. We are promised that someday, our Lord Jesus Christ “will change our lowly body to conform with is glorified Body by the power that enables him also to bring all things into subjection to himself.”
In this spirit I invite all of you to pray with me. Here is my daily prayer for the US elections.
Dear Father God, above all, I ask that your will be done in this upcoming election. In light of this I humbly offer my petition. I ask that candidates who support life at all its stages become elected, that candidates who support the Catholic Church and her ministry to the people are elected, and lastly, I ask that candidates who seek to create a government that supports your will become our elected officials. Thank you Father God for hearing my petition.
I am also setting aside significant time to pray the Rosary for my country, asking for Mother Mary’s intercession in this election.
May you find your way to share the love of Jesus with those in need so that all of God’s creation can turn towards him. May you speak and think words of love, forgiveness and mercy as you sing and praise of God’s glory! – Carolyn
Sacred Heart of Jesus – have mercy on us.
Mother Mary – pray for us.
Saints Charles Borromeo – pray for us.
Today’s Readings Philippians 3:17-4:1, Psalm 122:1-2, 3-4ab, 4cd-5; Luke 16:1-8
