Shrewd for Heaven: The One Investment That Never Fails

Phil 3:17—4:1, Psalm: 121, Lk 16:1-8

My dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

There is a parable in today’s Gospel that has puzzled Christians for two thousand years. A dishonest steward is caught wasting his master’s property. He is about to be fired. So what does he do? He calls his master’s debtors and reduces their debts—so that when he is dismissed, they will welcome him into their homes. And then the master—the victim of the fraud—actually praises him. “For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.”

Jesus is not praising dishonesty. He is praising shrewdness. He is saying: Look at how clever the worldly are in securing their future. They use money, relationships, opportunities—everything—to build a comfortable life. Why are you so slow to use what you have to build the Kingdom of God? If the unrighteous can be that clever for things that pass away, how much more clever should you be for things that last forever?

Saint Paul, in his Letter to the Philippians, gives us the focus we need. “Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body.” Paul is saying: you are not citizens of this world. You are pilgrims. Your true home is heaven. So live like it. Do not set your minds on earthly things. Set your minds on the things above.

The connection is this: The shrewd steward used his position, his resources, his relationships—everything at his disposal—to secure a welcome when his time ran out. We, too, have a time that will run out. We, too, have resources, relationships, opportunities, gifts. The question is: Are we using them to secure our eternal welcome? Or are we wasting them on things that do not last?

Pope Francis has said, “The Lord does not want us to be foolish. He wants us to be wise. Wisdom means knowing what matters most and investing everything in it.” Saint John Paul II, in his encyclical Centesimus Annus, wrote, “The goods of this world are a gift from God, entrusted to us for the good of all. We must use them wisely, not hoard them foolishly.” And Saint Augustine, reflecting on the parable, said, “The unjust steward was praised not for his injustice, but for his foresight. Learn from him: use the things of this world to gain the things of eternity.”

What does this mean for us? We are all stewards. God has entrusted us with time, talent, treasure, relationships, opportunities. And one day, we will be called to give an account. The shrewd steward secured his future by being generous with what was not his. We secure our eternal future by being generous with what God has given us. Every act of charity, every sacrifice, every deed of mercy is an investment in eternity. It is making friends who will welcome us into the eternal dwellings.

Today, let us examine our hearts. Are we investing in eternity? Are we using our resources to build the Kingdom? Or are we hoarding, spending, wasting, living only for the present? Let us ask the Lord to give us the shrewdness of the steward and the focus of Saint Paul. For our citizenship is in heaven. And the only investment that never fails is the Kingdom of God. Amen. May God bless you all!