Parable Of The Unjust Steward

NOVEMBER 05, 2021, FRIDAY
Friday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time (Green)
CYCLE B - YEAR I
Lectionary: 489

Reading I
Rom 15:14-21

I myself am convinced about you, my brothers and sisters,
that you yourselves are full of goodness,
filled with all knowledge, and able to admonish one another.
But I have written to you rather boldly in some respects to remind you,
because of the grace given me by God
to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles
in performing the priestly service of the Gospel of God,
so that the offering up of the Gentiles may be acceptable,
sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to boast in what pertains to God.
For I will not dare to speak of anything
except what Christ has accomplished through me
to lead the Gentiles to obedience by word and deed,
by the power of signs and wonders,
by the power of the Spirit of God,
so that from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum
I have finished preaching the Gospel of Christ.
Thus I aspire to proclaim the Gospel
not where Christ has already been named,
so that I do not build on another’s foundation,
but as it is written:
    Those who have never been told of him shall see,
    and those who have never heard of him shall understand.

Responsorial Psalm
98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4

R.    (see 2b) The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.

Sing to the LORD a new song,
    for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
    his holy arm.

R.    The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.

The LORD has made his salvation known:
    in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
    toward the house of Israel.

R.    The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.

All the ends of the earth have seen
    the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
    break into song; sing praise.

R.    The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.

Alleluia
1 Jn 2:5

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Whoever keeps the word of Christ,
the love of God is truly perfected in him.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL
Lk 16:1-8

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 promissory note.
Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.’

Then to another he said, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’
He replied, ‘One hundred measures of wheat.’  
He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory 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 the children of light.”

REFLECTION:

Jesus calls me to take care of the resources that are available to me. I consider the benefits that I have - such as intelligence, opportunities and time - and ask God how I might use them best for God's glory, for the service of others and for my own growth.

PRAYER:

Lord, you are telling me to be cute, by using wisely whatever wealth I have. Having money is a responsibility. I can use it selfishly, or with a sensitivity to others’ needs. God gave us temporal things to use. My wealth consists not in what I keep but in what I gave away. You will judge me by how I use the things of which I am only a steward. The only riches we take from this world are those we have given away.