Reflection for November 7 Friday of the 31st Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 16:1-8

Gospel: Luke 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.

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Reflection:

Mr. X is a person of the world who has achieved material success and can practically buy almost anything he desires. In our pursuit of comfort and success, we sometimes satisfy our cravings for the material things of life so much that we forget who we truly are—people with souls meant for something beyond this world.

After enjoying the temporary pleasures that wealth can bring, there may come a time when our hearts feel empty and restless, despite all our worldly achievements. This is the great danger of success without spiritual grounding: the tendency to drown in what the world offers and to forget that everything we have is not truly ours. We are merely stewards of God’s blessings, entrusted to use them not for self-indulgence but for the good of others.

True fulfillment is not found in possessing more but in sharing more. We must learn to give—not only a small portion of what we earn, but to give generously and joyfully—for what we have is meant to bless others. Everything in our hands is a gift from God, and He calls us to use these gifts to reflect His love and compassion.

In the end, life’s real measure is not how much we have accumulated, but how much love we have shared and how many lives we have touched.

Are we using our blessings to glorify God and uplift others, or are we keeping them only for ourselves? – Marino J. Dasmarinas