Three Lessons from the Parable of the Dishonest Steward

Homily for Saturday of the 31st Week in Ordinary Time

The Gospel passage offers three lessons that can be learned from the parable of the unjust steward. Immediately following the parable are three possible ways to understand the message of the parable. 

First, make sure that your motives are just in pursuing economic sustenance. Don’t cheat or steal. You may know of someone who gets away with such conduct, but God will ask them to answer for their duplicity.

Also, be trustworthy even in trivial concerns. If you can be trusted in small things, you will likely be trusted in greater.

Finally, remember to serve God first. It is impossible to serve God and money.

Notice that Jesus’ words fall on the deaf ears of the Pharisees. They put on a good show, but they are guilty of being untrustworthy in their responsibilities.

We can sum all of this up in one word – generosity. One who is generous comes to the aid of those in need. St. Paul praises the Philippians for their generosity toward him while he was preaching in Macedonia. Their generous nature extends to their dealings with their neighbors. Generous people also tend to be trustworthy people. God has been generous to us; the only way to show our gratitude is to be generous in return.

Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator