From: Luke 16:1-8

The Unjust Steward

[1] He (Jesus) also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a ste-
ward, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. [2]
And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear from you? Turn in the
account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.’ [3] And the ste-
ward said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the stewardship
away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. [4] I
have decided what to do, so that people may receive me into their houses when
I am put out of the stewardship.’ [5] So, summoning his master’s debtors one by
one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ [6] He said, ‘A hun-
dred measures of oil.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly
and write fifty.’ [7] Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said,
‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’
[8] The master commended the dishonest steward for his prudence; for the sons
of this world are wiser in their own generation that the sons of light.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

1-8. The unfaithful steward manages to avoid falling on hard times. Of course, our
Lord presumes that we realize the immorality of the man’s behavior. What he em-
phasizes and praises, however, is his shrewdness and effort: he tries to derive
maximum material advantages from his former position as steward. In saving our
soul and spreading the Kingdom of God, our Lord wants us to apply at least the
same ingenuity and effort as people put into their worldly affairs or their attempts
to attain some human ideal. The fact that we can count on God’s grace does not
in any way exempt us from the need to employ all available legitimate human re-
sources even if that means strenuous effort and heroic sacrifice.

“What zeal people put into their earthly affairs: dreaming of honors, striving for ri-
ches, bent on sensuality. Men and women, rich and poor, old and middle-aged
and young and even children: all of them the same. When you and I put the same
zeal into the affairs of our souls, we will have a living and operative faith: and there
will be no obstacle that we cannot overcome in our apostolic undertakings” (St.
J. Escriva, “The Way”, 317).

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Readings at Mass

First reading

Romans 15:14-21 ©

My brothers, I am quite certain that you are full of good intentions, perfectly well instructed and able to advise each other. The reason why I have written to you, and put some things rather strongly, is to refresh your memories, since God has given me this special position. He has appointed me as a priest of Jesus Christ, and I am to carry out my priestly duty by bringing the Good News from God to the pagans, and so make them acceptable as an offering, made holy by the Holy Spirit.

I think I have some reason to be proud of what I, in union with Christ Jesus, have been able to do for God. What I am presuming to speak of, of course, is only what Christ himself has done to win the allegiance of the pagans, using what I have said and done by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thus all the way along, from Jerusalem to Illyricum, I have preached Christ’s Good News to the utmost of my capacity. I have always, however, made it an unbroken rule never to preach where Christ’s name has already been heard. The reason for that was that I had no wish to build on other men’s foundations; on the contrary, my chief concern has been to fulfil the text: Those who have never been told about him will see him, and those who have never heard about him will understand.

Psalm

Psalm 97:1-4 ©

The Lord has shown his salvation to the nations.

Sing a new song to the Lord

for he has worked wonders.

His right hand and his holy arm

have brought salvation.

The Lord has shown his salvation to the nations.

The Lord has made known his salvation;

has shown his justice to the nations.

He has remembered his truth and love

for the house of Israel.

The Lord has shown his salvation to the nations.

All the ends of the earth have seen

the salvation of our God.

Shout to the Lord, all the earth,

ring out your joy.

The Lord has shown his salvation to the nations.

Gospel Acclamation

2Co5:19

Alleluia, alleluia!

God in Christ was reconciling the world to himself,

and he has entrusted to us the news that they are reconciled.

Alleluia!

Or	1Jn2:5

Alleluia, alleluia!

Whenever anyone obeys what Christ has said,

God’s love comes to perfection in him.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘There was a rich man and he had a steward denounced to him for being wasteful with his property. He called for the man and said, “What is this I hear about you? Draw me up an account of your stewardship because you are not to be my steward any longer.” Then the steward said to himself, “Now that my master is taking the stewardship from me, what am I to do? Dig? I am not strong enough. Go begging? I should be too ashamed. Ah, I know what I will do to make sure that when I am dismissed from office there will be some to welcome me into their homes.”

Then he called his master’s debtors one by one. To the first he said, “How much do you owe my master?” “One hundred measures of oil” was the reply. The steward said, “Here, take your bond; sit down straight away and write fifty.” To another he said, “And you, sir, how much do you owe?” “One hundred measures of wheat” was the reply. The steward said, “Here, take your bond and write eighty.”

‘The master praised the dishonest steward for his astuteness. For the children of this world are more astute in dealing with their own kind than are the children of light.’