PASS OR FAIL

“Give an account of your management.” – Luke 16:2

A co-parent proudly showed the report card of her youngest child. Her grades were exemplary and all were marked “Passed.” She spoke of how diligent and responsible her daughter was, how she carefully managed her study time and playtime. She was obedient too.

Then it dawned on me. God has given me a beautiful life to manage and a day will come when I’d need to give an account of how I lived my life. Would my mark be pass or fail?

Am I doubling my efforts to improve my relationships with my family and loved ones? Am I doing what is expected of me in my jobs? Am I patient and understanding with my coworkers and co-servants? Am I faithful to my assignments in the parish? Am I helpful to our neighbors’ needs? Am I a good steward of my finances? Am I kind and good and loving? Am I living my life the way God wants me to?

I wouldn’t want to be like the shrewd servant in the Gospel who wasted his master’s possessions and became dishonest to cover up his faults. Rather, I want my Father to be proud of me because I was obedient to His will and smart and loving in managing my life. I want that in the Book of Life, mine would be marked “Passed!” Sol Saura (sol_saura@yahoo.com)

Reflect: How are you managing your life? Are you doing it God’s way or your way?

Father, grant us the needed grace to know Your will and obey it so that we may live our lives accordingly.

St. Lawrence Ruiz and Companions, pray for us.

Amos is railing against the corruption of the rich and claims that they use scales that are rigged to their favor, while keeping the poor in their poverty. They do this to maintain their wealth and privilege. This continues to happen today. The rich and powerful still exploit the poor and weak. What we can do is to act fairly and generously in our relationships and business deals.

Amos 8:4-7

4 Hear this, you who trample upon the needy and destroy the poor of the land! 5 “When will the new moon be over,” you ask, “that we may sell our grain, and the sabbath, that we may display the wheat? We will diminish the ephah, add to the shekel, and fix our scales for cheating! 6 We will buy the lowly man for silver, and the poor man for a pair of sandals; even the refuse of the wheat we will sell!” 7 The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob: never will I forget a thing they have done!

Psalm 113:1-2, 4-6, 7-8

R: Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor.

1 Praise, you servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord. 2 Blessed be the name of the Lord both now and forever. (R) 4 High above all nations is the Lord; above the heavens is his glory. 5 Who is like the Lord, our God, who is enthroned on high 6 and looks upon the heavens and the earth below? (R) 7 He raises up the lowly from the dust; from the dunghill he lifts up the poor 8 to seat them with princes, with the princes of his own people. (R)

2nd READING

Jesus is the only mediator between humanity and God. Our devotions to Mary and the saints cannot save us from sin. Nor can these devotions give us grace. Therefore, it is of no help to ascribe the power of mediation to anyone other than Jesus. Mary is no more a mediator of grace than you or I. Grace is given to her by Jesus, just like with us.

1 Timothy 2:1-8

1 Beloved: First of all, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, 2 for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity. 3 This is good and pleasing to God our savior, 4 who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God. There is also one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as ransom for all. This was the testimony at the proper time. 7 For this I was appointed preacher and apostle—I am speaking the truth, I am not lying—teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. 8 It is my wish, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger or argument.

GOSPEL

Trust usually has to be earned. Someone’s reputation may precede them and you are willing to trust another person’s judgment. But generally speaking, people have to prove to us that they are trustworthy. God first entrusts small matters to us, and then the bigger ones as we prove ourselves. Let us become worthy of His growing trust.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Though our Lord Jesus Christ was rich, he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.

Luke 16:10-13 (or Luke 16:1-13)

10 Jesus said to his disciples: “The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones. 11 If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth, who will trust you with true wealth? 12 If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours? 13 No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

think: “The best proof of love is trust.” (Joyce Brothers)

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Read the Bible in one year - Psalms 136-140 

 

 

SHREWDNESS IN THE SPIRITUAL LIFE

I am confused about the scheme the steward used in today’s Gospel: Write fifty instead of one hundred; write eighty instead of one hundred. That means the master still lost seventy. The money the steward was playing around with was still not his. Doubly puzzling for me is that the unfaithful steward, about to be relieved of his position, gained praise from his employer.

Due to its unethical complications, most preachers would rather skip this Gospel. It will have to hurdle some ethical principles. One complication goes against the principle that the end does not justify the means.

The key to understanding this parable is the obvious virtue of shrewdness. Shrewdness is defined as the ability to judge people and situations well and make good decisions.

The master’s praise was not to praise the cheating the steward. He was not commending the mismanagement of his possessions. The master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly (Luke 16:8). Jesus did not praise his unrighteous actions. Jesus’ admiration was for the brilliant planning of shrewdness.

As Christians, our shrewdness need not be in the field of unethical or immoral things. What we can venture today is shrewdness in the positive aspect of our Christian life. Jesus admired the shrewdness of the tenant. How much more if that shrewdness was used to bring more good and help to other people? Fr. Haluendo Amit, OCD

------- REFLECTION QUESTION -------

How shrewd are you with respect to your spiritual life?

 

Lord, may all my thoughts, words, and actions today please You. Amen.

Today, I pray for: _____________________________