Jesus said to his disciples, “For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than the children of light.”
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus tells the parable of the steward who squandered property. When his master made clear that he would no longer be his steward, the steward then made dishonest arrangements with his master’s debtors to give him an advantage once out of his service. The meaning of the parable is somewhat difficult to unravel. In subsequent passages in Luke, however, Jesus says this about the steward in the parable: “If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth, who will trust you with true wealth?” God, how far do I go in recognizing true wealth when I see it, and how do I take that into my care as a steward of my faith?
Help me understand, Lord, the Gospel and the reading from Saint Paul. Through Jesus’ dying and rising, I have the means—the freedom to choose—of attaining eternal life even as a sojourner here on earth. Saint Paul speaks of this choice: “Their God is their stomach; their glory is in their ‘shame.’ Their minds are occupied with earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Saint Charles Borromeo, whose memorial is celebrated today, recognized the place of worldly things in respect to the world to come, saying, “Make use of [the things of this world] according to need, not pleasure, and take care to pass through these temporal things in such a way as not to lose things eternal.”
Jesus, be present with me today so that I can stand firm in desiring true wealth and bringing its hope to others. Through your grace, Lord, let me recall that I live in the hope of the resurrection because of your power to bring all things into subjection to yourself. I want to be a child of the light.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
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