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.”
Lectio (Reading)
Read the passage twice and get a sense of what it is saying. Pay attention to what strikes you.Meditatio (Reflecting)
Slowly read the passage again, pausing on words or phrases that stands out. Take time to consider the meaning. particularly in your life.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.
Oratio (Responding)
Read the passage again, slowly. Consider how God has spoken to you and respond back to Him. You may want to consider how this passage is asking you to act differently.The parable of the dishonest steward is one that has always really caused me anxiety, because it is really hard to understand. The response of the master is totally illogical, and in the lines that follow this passage Jesus says “Make friends with dishonest wealth,” which is almost antithetical to all of Jesus’ other teachings. So how do we understand this?
In reading about the passage, I have heard some scholars say that the steward was giving the king’s subjects back his profit off of the debt. That is how stewards made money, by adding a tax onto the top of what the subject already owed the master. Some stewards charged more than others, and some charged some subjects more than others. Maybe in this reading, the steward is just giving that tax back in order to make friends with the king’s subjects so that he will not be cast out of the town when he loses his position of power.
This does logically makes sense, but I have read other eminent scholars say specifically that this is not true, that the master was truly commending him for being prudent through misusing the masters property. Essentially doing a bad thing for good reasons.
But I cant think of a single human master that would be okay with this. But what if that master is God, and the steward is misusing the gifts and graces of God, to do a good thing by helping his subjects and making friends at the same time? Then I guess that it does make sense that God could commend that. Essentially, this steward might be making the first step towards redeeming himself. He is still doing dishonest things, but he is at least doing them for a good reason this time…
But do not be confused…, the Catholic Church clearly teaches that you can never do a bad thing for good reasons. In this parable the steward is being commended for his prudence, and maybe Jesus is saying that while doing a good thing for bad reasons, is not good, it is better than doing a bad thing for bad reasons.
I should like to meet this man if he (and I) ever make it to heaven, and get the full story. Let us all strive, to do good things for good reasons, even if it is really hard, because that is what Jesus is ultimately calling us to do.
Contemplatio (Contemplating)
Take time to simply remain in the presence of God.Resolutio (Resolving)
Make a resolution that will improve your life, your relationships, or your faith. Make it small and attainable, and do it.Oh lord, help me today to do good for good reasons, to love you and keep you in mind at all times, and in all things. Amen.