November 6: Friday: Luke 16: 1-8:.

Today, the Gospel proposes a question, which, at first sight, is rather extraordinary. Luke's text, indeed, says: And the master commended the dishonest steward for his astuteness (Lk 16:8). It goes without saying we are not being told here to be deceitful in our relationship amongst ourselves, much less, with our Lord. It is not therefore a praise to which would simply be a dishonest steward.
“Why did the Lord present this parable to us?” asked St Augustine. “He surely did not approve of that cheating servant who cheated his master, stole from him and did not make it up from his own pocket. On top of that, he also did some extra pilfering. He caused his master further loss, in order to prepare a little nest of quiet and security for himself after he lost his job. Why did the Lord set this before us?” With instinctive accuracy he hit the point: “It is not because that servant cheated but because he exercised foresight for the future.” It is not an allegory, but a parable. An allegory has many points of application, a parable has only one.
What Jesus actually manifests in this example is a grievance for the shrewdness in dealing with the matters of this world and the lack of true wit of the sons of light in building God's Kingdom: «The people of this world are more astute in dealing with their own kind than are the people of light» (Lk 16:8).
A shrewd person is one who grasps a critical situation with resolution and foresight. Perhaps Jesus was trying to tell his listeners that there was something more critical in the steward's situation than a simple financial crisis. Perhaps Jesus has been reminding us that we can avert spiritual crisis through the exercise of faith and foresight. If Christians would only expend as much foresight and energy in spiritual matters as much as they do to earthly matters, then perhaps the world would indeed be a better place. As God’s stewards we need to be prepared to give an account of our lives at any time.
Let’s ask the Lord to help us to be a good steward of our time, finances, and possessions and free us from greed and possessiveness, and fill us with generosity towards others. Amen.