REFLECTION

GOSPEL

Jesus said to his disciples, "A rich man had a steward who was reported to him for squandering his property. He summoned him and said, 'What is this I hear about you? Prepare a full account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward.' The steward said to himself, 'What shall I do, now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me?

I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg. I know what I shall do so that, when I am removed from the stewardship, they may welcome me into their homes.'

He called in his master's debtors one by one. To the first he said, 'How much do you owe my master?' He replied, 'One hundred measures of olive oil.' He said to him, 'Here is your agreement note. Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.' Then to another the steward said, 'And you, how much do you owe?' He replied, 'One hundred bundles of wheat.' The steward said to him, 'Here is your agreement note; write one for eighty.' And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently. 

"For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones. If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth, who will trust you with true wealth? If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours?

No servant can serve two masters. He will either dislike one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon."

Luke 16: 1-13

REFLECTION

In today’s Gospel we hear about honesty and integrity and decency. We are told not to cheat the poor, not to steal from those who can least afford it, not to take advantage of those who are already down on their luck. You’d think that would be obvious, but it wasn’t then and it isn’t now. Of course we shouldn’t cheat or steal from anyone. Of course we shouldn’t take advantage of the vulnerable, but people have and still do. It wasn’t right then and it isn’t right now.

The psalm tells us to pray for those in power that they might be good leaders to all their people and protect those who are vulnerable. The job of our leaders is to protect their people and assure they are safe and treated decently.

Unfortunately, not everyone acts decently and appropriately. Unfortunately, some people, even some leaders do take advantage of the vulnerable. And that behaviour needs to be nipped in the bud. People who cannot be trusted in a small matter have not proven themselves trustworthy. If someone would steal a small thing they would surely steal something bigger. If they can’t be trusted in a small matter, how could they be trusted for something bigger and more important. Someone who would take advantage of a vulnerable person for their own means could not be trusted to treat a ‘more important’ person appropriately. Because, who is more important? Our job is to treat all God’s people decently and appropriately, and take proper care of all God’s creation.

Julie Leonard

Religious Education Leader

Wellbeing Leader