Sunday, September 23, 2007

Stewardship

And he said also to his disciples: There was a certain rich man who had a steward: and the same was accused unto him, that he had wasted his goods. And he called him, and said to him: How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship: for now thou canst be steward no longer. And the steward said within himself: What shall I do, because my lord taketh away from me the stewardship? To dig I am not able; to beg I am ashamed. I know what I will do, that when I shall be removed from the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. Therefore calling together every one of his lord's debtors, he said to the first: How much dost thou owe my lord?

But he said: An hundred barrels of oil. And he said to him: Take thy bill and sit down quickly, and write fifty. Then he said to another: And how much dost thou owe? Who said: An hundred quarters of wheat. He said to him: Take thy bill, and write eighty. And the lord commended the unjust steward, forasmuch as he had done wisely: for the children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light. And I say to you: Make unto you friends of the mammon of iniquity; that when you shall fail, they may receive you into everlasting dwellings. He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in that which is greater: and he that is unjust in that which is little, is unjust also in that which is greater.

If then you have not been faithful in the unjust mammon; who will trust you with that which is the true? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's; who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or he will hold to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
Luke 16:1-13 (Douay-Rheims)

Prayer

Dear Father we live in a world that lives by mammon, because mammon buys what we think will bring us happiness. It is serving you that truly brings us the happiness that we often seek without realizing we are searching. How often I have done the same and spent money on goods to fill a void only you can fill. How I wasted my stewardship to make your kingdom grow and prosper. Is this then part of what was taken away to reveal the truth of your Gospel, so that I may have life lived in you. Where I too have searched, yet refused to see how you have been working in my life. May I bring my stewardship ever in harmony to your will dear Father and reap a harvest worthy for your kingdom. Amen

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