It is God Himself who can save me – and no amount of shrewdness could ever change any of that!
Parable of the Unjust Steward (Marinus van Reymerswaele)
I have been reflecting on the story of the rich man and the steward…
“Jesus said to the disciples, ‘There was a rich man who had a steward, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward’... So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’... for the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.” (Luke 16:1-8).
You see, I know what it is to be shrewd. A shrewd person is a person who is able to manipulate their environment to their advantage. These people are the ones that somehow always seem to land on their feet or to get ahead, even when others are failing.
And I have been reflecting on that as I reflect on my own life. You see, that dishonest steward did not really judge himself and consider his own dishonesty. Instead, he looked at his life and thought to himself, that his dishonesty was necessary. Surely, he must have reasoned to himself, this is a necessary evil so that I can get ahead. Surely, he must have reasoned to himself, this is absolutely essential or my life will not be worth living. Surely, he reasoned to himself, I must really do my best to get the job done.
And I have been reflecting on that when I think about my own life. You see, my life is littered with a thousand essential little lies that I tell to myself or others and I justify in much the same way as the dishonest steward did. It is easier to tell that lie. It is more convenient to stretch that truth. If I phrase it like this, then it will go better for everyone in the long run.
And what I have come to realise – upon reflection – is that nothing ever really goes better in the long run with all the lies that are told. You see, one lie builds upon another until the first lie is forgotten and the foundation is rotten, and even the truth cannot be held up, maintained or supported.
And so, as I consider the state of my soul today, I bow my head in shame. For I have told a thousand little lies and am no better than the dishonest steward. And that means, that when Christ was telling that parable over twenty centuries ago, He was really speaking to me. And knowing this, I have nothing left to do other than turn to my Beloved in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, to repent and to implore Him in His infinite Mercy to be merciful to me a sinner, who has recourse to Him... For it is God Himself who can save me – and no amount of shrewdness could ever change any of that!
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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