Saturday, June 18, 2005
LUKE 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."
HOMILY
The parable in today's Gospel, Jesus says, "For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than the children of light." It's a good point, isn't it?
Ask yourself, how creative, decisive and enterprising are you when a contract you're trying to land seems to be slipping out of your grasp? Are you as intense, as creative, as decisive when you're pursuing a spiritual value? Jesus is saying, "be as enterprising, as creative and as intense in your pursuit of spiritual values as the servant in the parable was in his attempt to safeguard his future material welfare."
In our society, the pursuit of material values is paramount. We want our children to get into the best grade schools, so they can get into the best high schools, so they can get into the best colleges, so they can get into the best graduate programs, so they can get the best jobs and live in luxury for the rest of their lives. To this end we bend all our considerable talents creatively and decisively.
And yet for many of us, we somehow neglect our spiritual lives, confining for the most part to about an hour every Saturday or Sunday. Perhaps it's time to consider and address the imbalance.
PRAYER
"Lord, all that I have is a gift from you. May I love you freely and generously with all that I possess. Help me to be a wise and faithful steward of my time, finances, and possessions. May I regard all that I have as yours. Free from greed and possessiveness and fill me with generosity in giving liberally to others, especially those in need, and to the work of the gospel."
FYI
HOMILY
The parable in today's Gospel, Jesus says, "For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than the children of light." It's a good point, isn't it?
Ask yourself, how creative, decisive and enterprising are you when a contract you're trying to land seems to be slipping out of your grasp? Are you as intense, as creative, as decisive when you're pursuing a spiritual value? Jesus is saying, "be as enterprising, as creative and as intense in your pursuit of spiritual values as the servant in the parable was in his attempt to safeguard his future material welfare."
In our society, the pursuit of material values is paramount. We want our children to get into the best grade schools, so they can get into the best high schools, so they can get into the best colleges, so they can get into the best graduate programs, so they can get the best jobs and live in luxury for the rest of their lives. To this end we bend all our considerable talents creatively and decisively.
And yet for many of us, we somehow neglect our spiritual lives, confining for the most part to about an hour every Saturday or Sunday. Perhaps it's time to consider and address the imbalance.
PRAYER
"Lord, all that I have is a gift from you. May I love you freely and generously with all that I possess. Help me to be a wise and faithful steward of my time, finances, and possessions. May I regard all that I have as yours. Free from greed and possessiveness and fill me with generosity in giving liberally to others, especially those in need, and to the work of the gospel."
FYI
# posted by F O O D F O R T H O U G H T @ 4:22 PM 
