Today Jesus tells us the parable of the dishonest
treasurer. At the end of his teaching, Jesus says, "For the people of this
world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the
light."
Unbelievable is the master’s reaction when he
discovers the steward’s dishonesty. Instead of putting him in prison, he
commends the steward for acting prudently. The gospel today may cause confusion
in our minds. How could Jesus praise someone who, in today's world, is corrupt
or seeking his own advantage at the expense of others? In today’s world, I
doubt that this is how an employer would respond. It is more likely that the
steward, at least, would find himself or herself out of a job or perhaps
find himself or herself in jail.
Jesus says that we can learn even from dishonest
people who are smart! Just as the children of this world cleverly prepare for
the future, so the children of light must be clever in preparing for their
future. That is preparing the Kingdom of God. The manager adapts quickly to a
crisis. When a crisis hits me, do I turn to God and work out what to do, or do
I let the crisis ruin my life?
By Fr. Fransiskus Diaz, SVD.
No comments:
Post a Comment