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Kayla
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| Joined: | Mon Jul 30th, 2007 |
| Location: | Emmitsburg, Maryland USA |
| Posts: | 364 |
| First Name: | Kayla | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Atheist, kind-of Mormon, Catholic |
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Posted: Sun Sep 23rd, 2007 09:19 pm |
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I really don't understand what is going on in today's Gospel. The parable doesn't make sense to me. What exactly is the steward doing when he goes to the houses of those who are debted to his master? And why is that at the end of the parable the master commends the steward for his prudence? I thought he was doing bad things? So why be commended?
I'm just really confused. Any thoughts?
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I believe, Lord, help my unbelief.
Jesus, I trust in You!
There's not a lot of job security for us after death. I suppose that's one advantage of being a philosopher. - Peter Kreeft
http://kayla23mount.blogspot.com/
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BodRod
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| Joined: | Mon Oct 2nd, 2006 |
| Location: | Apple Valley, California USA |
| Posts: | 772 |
| First Name: | Cliff | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Raised an SDA, then Generic Christian, finally at home with ... |
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Posted: Sun Sep 23rd, 2007 10:37 pm |
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I thought that the story was given to illustrate that we should plan for our eternal future. The crooked servant made plans for his future and we should do the same only do it the right way. In fact, as I remember the text from this morning, it said that the crooks will make their plans in crooked ways and the righteous will make their plans in the righteous way.
I don't know if that is the approved meaning of the texts but that is what I got out of it. It is a difficult text to understand. We went over it in RCIA, then I read it again before I left for Mass and I still did not get any ideas about it. I finally got the above idea as Fr. A. was reading it this morning.
To be honest ...... I am glad to hear someone else had problems with that text! 
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Gratias agamus Domino Deo nostro.
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CajunRick
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Houma, Louisiana USA |
| Posts: | 5080 |
| First Name: | Rick (& Kermie) | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Lifetime Catholic, Latin Rite |
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Posted: Sun Sep 23rd, 2007 11:04 pm |
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My pastor said we concentrate on the wrong part of the story. He said Jesus' message was this:
"If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth, who will trust you with true wealth? "
He said Jesus' point was that we go to great lengths to prepare for our future lives, but seldom make the same effort to prepare for our eternal life. He said that athletes and businesspeople make great sacrifices for their occupations, but the saints do it for their faith.
He told a story of a young man who finished second at a shot put competition and couldn't sleep for thinking of what he had done wrong. At 3 a.m. his father was awakened by the sound of his son putting the shot, because he thought he had figured out a better way to do something.
He said Jesus is telling us we need to make the same effort to save our soul, that we need to be "in training" for a life of prayer and spiritual development with the same devotion as an athlete in training. Otherwise, if "you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth, who will trust you with true wealth?"
And of course, the conclusion of the passage carries the same message:
"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 both God and mammon.”
The NAB footnote for this passage reads:
Mammon is the Greek transliteration of a Hebrew or Aramaic word that is usually explained as meaning "that in which one trusts." The characterization of this wealth as dishonest expresses a tendency of wealth to lead one to dishonesty.
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Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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David W. Emery
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Brownsville, Texas USA |
| Posts: | 1793 |
| First Name: | David | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic |
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Posted: Mon Sep 24th, 2007 12:29 am |
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My pastor used the following sources for his homily:
From the Catena Aurea on Luke 16:1–7:
There is a certain erroneous opinion inherent in mankind, which increases evil and lessens good. It is the feeling that all the good things we possess in the course of our life we possess as lords over them, and accordingly we seize them as our especial goods. But it is quite the contrary. For we are placed in this life not as lords in our own house, but as guests and strangers, led whither we would not, and at a time we think not of. He who is now rich, suddenly becomes a beggar. Therefore whoever you are, know yourself to be a dispenser of the things of others, and that the privileges granted you are for a brief and passing use. Cast away then from your soul the pride of power, and put on the humility and modesty of a steward.…
Meanwhile he is taken and thrust out of his stewardship.… Day after day by the events which take place our Lord cries aloud to us the same thing, showing us a man at midday rejoicing in health, before the evening cold and lifeless; another expiring in the midst of a meal. And in various ways we go out from our stewardship; but the faithful steward, who has confidence concerning his management, desires with Paul to depart and be with Christ. But he whose wishes are on earth is troubled at his departing.
…I cannot dig, to beg I am ashamed. Weakness in action is the fault of a slothful life. For no one would shrink who had been accustomed to apply himself to labor. But if we take the parable allegorically, after our departure hence there is no more time for working; the present life contains the practice of what is commanded, the future, consolation. If you have done nothing here, in vain then are you careful for the future, nor will you gain any thing by begging. The foolish virgins are an instance of this, who unwisely begged of the wise, but returned empty. For every one puts on his daily life as his inner garment; it is not possible for him to put it off or exchange it with another.
But the wicked steward aptly contrived the remission of debts, to provide for himself an escape from his misfortunes among his fellow-servants.… For as often as a man perceiving his end approaching, lightens by a kind deed the load of his sins (either by forgiving a debtor his debts, or by giving abundance to the poor), dispensing those things which are his Lord’s, he conciliates to himself many friends, who will afford him before the judge a real testimony, not by words, but by the demonstration of good works, nay moreover will provide for him by their testimony a resting-place of consolation. But nothing is our own, all things are in the power of God.
From the Navarre Bible Commentary:
Luke 14:1–8: …In saving our soul and spreading the Kingdom of God, our Lord wants us to apply at least the same ingenuity and effort as people put into their worldly affairs or their attempts to attain some human ideal. The fact that we can count on God’s grace does not in any way exempt us from the need to employ all available legitimate human resources even if that means strenuous effort and heroic sacrifice.…
9–11: “Unrighteous mammon” means temporal goods which have been obtained in some unjust, unrighteous way. However, God is very merciful: even this unjust wealth can enable a person to practise virtue by making restitution, by paying for the damage done and then by striving to help his neighbour by giving alms, by creating work opportunities, etc. This was the case with Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector, who undertook to restore fourfold anything he had unjustly taken, and also to give half his wealth to the poor. On hearing that, our Lord specifically declared that salvation had that day come to that house (cf. Luke 19:1–10; the interpretation given is a summary from St. Augustine, as appears in the Catena Aurea after what is cited above).
Our Lord speaks out about faithfulness in very little things, referring to riches — which really are insignificant compared with spiritual wealth. If a person is faithful and generous and is detached in the use he makes of these temporal riches, he will, at the end of his life, receive the reward of eternal life, which is the greatest treasure of all, and a permanent one. Besides, by its very nature human life is a fabric of little things: anyone who fails to give them their importance will never be able to achieve great things.…
The parable of the unjust steward is a symbol of man’s life. Everything we have is a gift from God, and we are his stewards or managers, who sooner or later will have to render an account to him.
12: “That which is another’s” refers to temporal things, which are essentially impermanent. “That which is your own” refers to goods of the spirit, values which endure, which are things we really do possess because they will go with us into eternal life. In other words: how can we be given heaven if we have proved unfaithful, irresponsible, during our life on earth?
13: In the culture of that time, “service” involved such commitment to one’s master that a servant could not take on any other work or serve any other master.
Our service to God, our sanctification, requires us to direct all our actions towards him. A Christian does not divide up his time, allocating some of it to God and some of it to worldly affairs: everything he does should become a type of service to God and neighbor — by doing things with upright motivation, and being just and charitable.
David
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CajunRick
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Houma, Louisiana USA |
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Posted: Mon Sep 24th, 2007 09:00 am |
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Christ Makes Church Rich With Poverty, Says PopeReflects on Parable of Dishonest Steward
VELLETRI, Italy, SEPT. 23, 2007, (Zenit.org).- Christ makes his followers rich with his poverty, Benedict XVI said in two reflections on the parable of the dishonest steward.
The Pope made a brief pastoral visit today to the suburbicarian Diocese of Velletri-Segni, the titular see to which he was appointed as cardinal from 1993 through his election as Pope, to present to the town of Velletri a bronze column celebrating his pontificate.
The column, with scenes of his life engraved on it, was placed in the plaza of the Cathedral of San Clement, where the Holy Father celebrated Mass.
During the homily the Pontiff said that the lesson of the dishonest steward in the Gospel of Luke illustrates that "no servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.'"
The Holy Father continued: "Mammon is the original Phoenician term that evokes economic security and success in business; we could say that in wealth is found the idol in which one sacrifices everything to reach personal success.
"Therefore a fundamental decision is necessary -- the choice between the logic of profit as the ultimate criteria of our action and the logic of sharing and solidarity.
"The logic of profit, if it prevails, increases not only the disproportion between poor and rich, but also the devastating exploitation of the planet.
"When, on the other hand, the logic of sharing and solidarity prevails, it is possible to correct the course of action and orient it toward proportional development, for the common good of all."
A decision
Benedict XVI added, "In the end it is a decision between egoism and love, between justice and dishonesty, and a final choice between God and Satan."
The Pope referred to the prophet Amos who "stigmatizes a typical style of life of someone who lets themselves be drawn in by a selfish search for profit in every possible way and is transformed into a thirst for gain, a contempt for the poor and in exploitation of the poor for their own advantage."
"The Christian must energetically reject all of this," said the Holy Father, "opening his heart, on the contrary, to feelings of authentic generosity."
"A generosity that, as St. Paul tells us in today's second reading, is expressed in a sincere love for all and is manifested in the first place in prayer. A grand gesture of charity is to pray for others."
Upon returning to Castle Gandolfo, Benedict XVI continued his reflection on profit and the equal distribution of goods at midday in his address to the crowds gathered to pray the Angelus.
"Money is not 'dishonest' in itself," he said, "but more than anything else it can close man up within a blind egoism. What is needed therefore is a sort of 'conversion' of economic goods: Instead of using them for one's own interests, we need to also think of the necessities of the poor.
"Christ did not enrich us with his wealth, but with his poverty, that is with his love that motivated him to give himself completely to us."
Balance
On the topic of profit and the equal distribution of goods, the Pope said that "one does not contradict the other, provided that their relationship is well-ordered."
"Catholic social doctrine has always sustained that the equal distribution of goods is a priority," added the Holy Father.
The Holy Father acknowledged that profit is legitimate and just, but added: "The crises of hunger and the environment are denouncing, with growing evidence, that the logic of profit, if it prevails, increases the disproportion between rich and poor and a harmful exploitation of the planet.
"When the logic of sharing and solidarity prevails on the other hand, it is possible to correct the course of action and orient it toward proportional and sustainable development."
© Innovative Media, Inc.
The above article is reposted with permission from Zenit.
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Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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