Có một câu chuyện kể rằng, Ở làng nghèo xứ đó, có hai mẹ con sống với nhau trong cảnh nghẻo túng, Khi người con trai lớn lên, anh đã yêu một người phụ nữ, nhưng người phụ nữ này không tha thiết với anh ta lắm. Vì thế có một lúc anh ta đã nói với cô ta rằng: anh sẽ làm bất cứ điều gì cô ấy muốn nếu cô ấy đồng ý kết hôn với anh ta. Cô ta nghe thế mới nói đùa với anh ta la: "Tôi sẽ chỉ đồng ý kết hôn với anh nếu anh móc trái tim của mẹ anh ra và mang đến cho tôi. Chỉ bằng cách này, anh mới có thể chứng minh được tình yêu của anh " Thế rồi tối hôm ấy, trong bóng tối của màn đêm anh chàng trai này đã vào phòng của mẹ anh, lấy dao nhọn và đâm vào long ngực mẹ mình, anh ta cắt trái tim của mẹ mình, cầm trái tim rên tay với bàn tay vấy máu và chạy tới nhà của người phụ nữ anh yêu. Nhưng trong khi chạy với trái tim của mẹ anh trong tay, anh vấp ngã. Trái tim của mẹ anh đã nói với anh: "Hãy cẩn thận, con trai của mẹ."
Người con trai si tình đã nghĩ sai khi tin rằng nếu anh ta có thể có được trái tim của mẹ mình, anh ta sẽ giành được chiến thắng và chiếm được trái tim của người phụ nữ anh yêu. "Hãy cẩn thận con trai của mẹ..." mẹ của anh dường như đã nhẹ nhàng nhắc nhở anh: rằng " Hãy cẩn thận con ơi, Tìm cho đúng nơi để đặt trái tim của con, con trai của mẹ. "
Trong Tin Mừng hôm nay, ông chủ ca ngợi người quản lý không phải vì sự bất trung, xảo quyệt của người đầy tớ, nhưng vì sự thận trọng, biết tính toán tương lai của anh ta. Qua 2 câu chuyện, Chúa Giêsu đã dạy chúng ta ngày hôm nay là nếu chúng ta muốn trở nên con cái thực sự và đáng yêu của sự sáng, chúng ta cần phải đoán quyết, biết sáng tạo và khôn ngoan trong việc xử dụng thời gian và nỗ lực của chúng ta trong việc theo chân Chúa khi chúng ta thực hiện các hoạt động và sinh hoạt trần thế của chúng ta.
Rom. 15:14-21; Lk. 16:1-8
Once there lived a poor mother and her son. When he grew up, he fell in love with a woman who was not serious about him. He told her he would do anything she ask if only she would marry him. Half in jest, she told him: “I will only marry you if you cut out your mother’s heart and bring it to me. Only in this way can you prove your love.” In the darkness of the night he went into his mother’s room, took from his belt a knife and plunged it into her breast. He cut her heart and run with bloodstained hands towards the home of his loved one. As he ran with the heart of his mother in his hands, he stumbled and fell. His mother’s heart said to him: “Be careful, my son.” The son wrongly believed that if only he could get the heart of his mother he would win the heart of the woman he loved. Be careful my son…” It was as though his mother was gently reminding him: “”be careful where you put your heart, my son.”
In today’s gospel, the master praises the steward not for his dishonesty but for his prudence.
Jesus is teaching us today that if we are to be real and effective children of light we need to be decisive, creative and wise in spending our time and effort in following God’s as we carry out our worldly activities.
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.’” Luke 16:1–2
There is much to ponder in this parable and many lessons from which we can learn. To begin, the rich man should be understood as God and you as the steward. This is an important first lesson to learn because it reveals to us that, when it comes to material things in this world, God is the true owner of all—we are only stewards. Think about that carefully. When it comes to all that you own, all your money and possessions, do you hold on to it as if you were the complete master of these material items? Clearly most people do think this way. They may work hard to earn a living, save and buy this and that, build up their bank accounts, and then remain very attached to these material things, seeing them as “mine” rather than as God’s. So the first very challenging lesson we should look at is that all we “own” is actually the possession of God. He only permits us to be stewards of the things of this world. Do you believe that?
As stewards, we must be committed to use the riches within our stewardship only in the way that God wants it used. In this parable, the steward was reported to the rich man for “squandering his property.” We also are guilty of squandering the possessions of God when we use money in accord with our own will and desires rather than those of God’s. This is an exceptionally common tendency, especially for those who have become the stewards of much money. Therefore, the more money that one has stewardship over, the more they will be tempted to squander it, meaning, use it for selfish purposes rather than for the glory of God in accord with His will. This is a hard teaching to accept and live. But these truths are indeed revealed to us by this parable, so it is essential that we listen.
The words spoken by the rich man, “Prepare a full account of your stewardship,” are words that we must all anticipate hearing one day. If that day were today, what would that “full account of your stewardship” look like? Have you worked hard for selfish gain? Or have you worked hard to act with great responsibility over the things God has entrusted to your care?
As the parable continues, we read that the steward acted “prudently” in that he devised a plan to make sure his material needs were met once he lost his position as steward. The “prudence,” however, that is spoken of here is a reference to the worldly, and therefore, evil ingenuity, cleverness, hard work and commitment many people have regarding the material wealth they seek to obtain in this world. Though it is good to be diligent and hardworking in life, too often this is done for the purpose of selfish gain. Just imagine if everyone who worked so hard at getting rich put even more effort into building up the Kingdom of God on earth! How different this world would be if we had so many hard workers for God’s mission.
Reflect, today, upon the simple truth that when it comes to the riches of this world, you are only the steward of what you possess, not its master. God wants you free from the attachment to material wealth so that you will be free to use all that you have for His glory and in accord with His purpose. That does not mean that you must donate all you have to charities. Instead, it means that you continually offer all that you have to God and seek to use it in accord with His will and His will alone. If that means you discern that God wants you to buy something new, then buy something new. If that means giving more away, then give more away. If that means living more simply as a holy sacrifice, then do just that. Money cannot buy happiness. Only embracing God’s will to the fullest will result in the happiness and fulfillment you deeply desire.
My Lord of all riches, You and You alone are the Master of all things created. All that I have and possess are Yours, dear Lord. Help me to believe this and to live my life purely as a steward of the possessions I have. Free me from squandering that which You have entrusted to my care. May I use all for Your glory and only in accord with Your holy will. Jesus, I trust in You.
Opening Prayer: Lord God, I am a child of the light, of your divine light. Guide me to be prudent in how I administer the good things I have received and earned. Inspire me to be honest and just in all my endeavors.
1. The Parable of the Dishonest Steward: The Gospel of Luke often praises the blessings of poverty and warns us about the dangers of wealth. Today’s Gospel parable is about using and administering our earthly wealth wisely so as to be welcomed into heavenly glory. While the steward in the parable is dishonest (untrustworthy) but prudent (streetwise), Jesus’ disciples are to be both trustworthy and prudent. The steward manifests a whole slew of vices. He squandered and mismanaged his master’s property. He was too lazy for manual labor. He was too vain to beg for money. He even engaged in fraud when he falsified the accounts and reduced what his master’s debtors owed. One debtor owed a thousand gallons (one hundred measures) of olive oil. This debt was cut in half. Another owed a thousand bushels of wheat (one hundred kors), and his debt was reduced to 800. The parable implies he did the same with many other debtors. Jesus’ parables often employ an unexpected twist. The twist in this parable is that instead of the master flying into a rage because of the steward’s actions, the master commends the untrustworthy steward for his prudence. What is it that Jesus wants his disciples to learn from the parable? That the children of this world – exemplified by the dishonest steward – are often more prudent than the children of light, i.e., his disciples. If the dishonest steward prudently ensured that he would be welcomed in earthly (temporal) dwellings, then how should Jesus’ disciples use their earthly wealth to ensure that they will be welcomed in heavenly (eternal) dwellings?
Opening Prayer: Lord God, you are my Lord. I serve no other god. There is nothing more valuable than eternal life with you. Your Kingdom is the hidden treasure I seek, the fine pearl I will purchase with all I have and am.
1. The Parable of the Dishonest Steward: The Gospel of Luke often praises the blessings of poverty and warns us about the dangers of wealth. Today’s parable is about using and administering our earthly wealth wisely. While the steward in the parable is dishonest (untrustworthy) but prudent (streetwise), Jesus’ disciples are to be both trustworthy and prudent. The steward manifests a whole slew of vices. He squandered (mismanaged) his master’s property, was too lazy for manual labor, was too vain to beg for money, and even engaged in fraud when he falsified the accounts and reduced what his master’s debtors owed. One debtor owed a thousand gallons (one hundred measures) of olive oil. This debt was cut in half. Another owed a thousand bushels of wheat (one hundred kors), and his debt was reduced to 800. The parable implies he did the same with other debtors. The twist in the parable is that instead of the master flying into a rage because of the steward’s actions, the master commends the untrustworthy steward for his prudence.
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