The Prudence of the Children of Light

Voice over by Esther Han

Rom 15:14-21; Psalm: 97; Lk 16:1-8

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, the Word of God today presents us with a striking contrast and a compelling challenge: to harness the resourcefulness of the world and sanctify it for the service of the Kingdom.

The Gospel presents us with the perplexing Parable of the dishonest steward. A manager is about to be fired for squandering his master’s property. Faced with this crisis, he acts with swift and shrewd intelligence. He reduces the debts of his master’s clients to secure their goodwill and his own future. The startling conclusion is that “the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently.” Jesus is certainly not praising fraud. He is highlighting a spiritual principle: “For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.” The steward used worldly resources to secure a temporal future. How much more should we, the children of light, use the gifts God has given us to secure an eternal one?

This holy ingenuity is perfectly exemplified in the missionary zeal of Saint Paul. In the first reading, he writes to the Romans of his ambition “to preach the Gospel not where Christ has already been named.” He is a spiritual entrepreneur, driven by a divine compulsion to pioneer new territories for the Kingdom. He strategically uses his gifts of preaching and teaching, not for personal glory, but to “make the Gentiles obedient.” His entire life is a model of using every ounce of his energy, intellect, and passion for a single, eternal goal: the salvation of souls. He is a steward of the mysteries of God, and he administers this grace with breathtaking prudence and focus.

We are all stewards, not owners, of the gifts God has given us: our time, our talents, our treasure, and the Gospel itself. The world uses its resources with great cunning for temporary security and passing pleasures. The Lord asks us to learn from their focus and intensity, but to direct it toward a higher end. We are called to be as shrewd in our pursuit of holiness as the world is in its pursuit of wealth; as strategic in our works of mercy as a business is in its marketing; as dedicated to our spiritual mission as an athlete is to winning a crown that withers.

As Pope Saint John Paul II, that great missionary, often urged, “Do not be afraid to go out into the streets and public places… This is no time to be ashamed of the Gospel. It is the time to preach it from the rooftops.”

The comfort here is that God does not demand our success, but our faithful ingenuity. The challenge is to conduct a spiritual audit. Are we as deliberate in our spiritual investments as we are in our financial ones? Do we use our social skills to build up the community of faith? Do we use our professional expertise in the service of the parish or the poor?

Let us ask for the intercession of saints like Teresa of Calcutta, who with holy shrewdness turned society’s throwaways into icons of Christ’s love. May we, the children of light, learn from the prudence of the world, and with far greater wisdom, use the temporary things of this world to build up the eternal Kingdom of God. Amen.

May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.