Father George Okoye,
High Prairie St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church

On the 25th Sunday of the ordinary time of the Catholic liturgy, all were invited to reflect on the gospel of St. Luke Chapter 16: 1-3.

We remember this story of a shrewd manager. After telling the crowd the story, Jesus said, “The children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.” [Luke 16:9]

Or put it simpler: “We work harder for worldly rewards that last only a few years than the heavenly rewards that last forever.”

Jesus does not recommend dishonesty. The steward was asked to give account of his stewardship. He was an unjust steward who wasted and embezzled his master’s goods. His master praised not his dishonesty, rather his astuteness and far-sightedness.

Jesus is simply telling us that we have to be as careful and far-sighted about our spiritual growth and our eternal happiness as the crooked manager in the parable.

Jesus is also warning about the danger of working only for material things and neglect our salvation by being blind to real and the genuine things and values of life.

We are very intelligent in organizing our worldly affairs than our spiritual life. Let us learn some lessons from this parable.

We are all stewards of God and we will have our day of accounting. Jesus is encouraging us with this parable to make use of our gifts, both material wealth and abilities for the good of the people. In doing so, we will store up treasure in heaven and wait to hear on the judgment day the voice that will tell us, “Well done, good and faithful servant, you have been trustworthy in few things … enter into the joy of your master.” [cf Matthew 25:21]

Let us not be negligent of our duties as parents, friends of God, teachers or stewards of peace and justice, because we may prevent God’s purposes and plans in our lives.

As we meditate on this, I would like us to think about the following questions: How can anyone believe in our message of peace, love and justice if we cannot live it out in our lives, if we cannot sacrifice our time and wealth for it?

And that brings us back to the parable of Jesus: We are more willing to sacrifice for worldly rewards than we are for heavenly rewards.

Those who propagate violence in the world are more willing to sacrifice for the spread of their teaching than those of us who commit ourselves for the spread of the message of peace, love and justice.

Why are we ourselves more willing to sacrifice for worldly rewards than we are for heavenly ones? Why are we more willing to treat strangers kindly for honour and financial gains than we are to our own family for spiritual and heavenly gains?

We must therefore use the same amount of wisdom we use in pursuit of material things, our freedom and rights, in spreading the love of God and love of neighbour for this is the heavenly and true values of life.

We may be called any time to give account of this stewardship. As Jesus said, “The children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than the children of light.”

We are the children of light!