him, ‘What is this I hear about you? I want you to render anaccount of your service, for it is about
to be terminated.’ The steward thought to himself, ‘What am I to do now? My master will surely
dismiss me. I am not strong enough to do hard work, and I am ashamed to beg. I know what I will
do: I must make sure that when I am dismissed, there will be people who will welcome me into
their homes.’ So he called his master’s debtors, one by one. He asked the first debtor, ‘How much
do you owe my master?’ The replywas, ‘A hundred jars of oil.’ The steward said, ‘Here is your bill.
Sit down quickly and write fifty.’ To the second debtor he put the same question, ‘How much do
you owe?’ The answer was, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ Then the steward said, ‘Take your
bill and write eighty.’ The master commended the dishonest steward for his astuteness: for the
people of this world are more astute, in dealing with their own kind, than are the people of light.
Reflect
“Act with Astuteness” In carrying out our mission in the world today, we seldom run out of
inspiration. Often, what we lack are the needed strategy to realize our mission for the benefit
of the people at large. The Gospel passagefor today narrates what is commonly known as the
parable of the shrewd steward or manager. The master learned of the steward’s fraudulent
service and asked him to render a full account of his service. His master was about to
terminate him. The steward thought of a way that there would be people to receive him once he
is terminated by his master. The steward successfully devised a scheme by which he lessened
the loans of those who owed his mater. Those whose loans were reduced then owed him
an owe of gratitude. In the end, his master commended the steward for acting wisely.
The Gospel passage ends with the challenge posed to the people of the light to also act wisely
similar to what the shrewd steward did in the Gospel. It is a great challenge to every Christian
community to strategize the work ofevangelization.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2024
