November 7: Wisdom and Prudence / Sabiduría y Prudencia

Luke 16, 1-8 (a passage known as the Parable of the Unjust Steward) offers us maybe the most puzzling of all of Jesus’ parables. The main character is a steward who was dishonest and wasteful, and was therefore dismissed from his post. After being fired, he took decisive action to provide for his future as best he could. Calling together his master’s creditors, he reduced the debts they owed, probably by cancelling the cut that he would have taken for himself. In other words, he forfeited money that he would have received in order to gain the future goodwill and hospitality of his master’s debtors. In his moment of crisis he knew that some things were more important than immediate profit and, on that basis, he took decisive action.

The Gospel tells us that Jesus told this parable because “the children of light,” His followers, had something to learn from that tricky main character. As the unjust steward used money that was due to him to win friends for the future, we are to use our resources to win friends in heaven. If we are generous here and now, Jesus says, we will be paid back in the future, in this life and beyond. It is another angle on the principle that “the measure you give is the measure you will get back.” All of a sudden, a puzzling parable makes a lot more sense. 

“Lord, help us to learn how to use your gifts to us in the wisest and most prudent ways. Help us to seek your everlasting Kingdom above all else – and help us do that today by making us true ‘children of the light.’ Amen.”

***

Lucas 16, 1-8 nos invita a recordar que Dios nos ha confiado mucho, como para estar permanentemente agradecidos y como para usar sus dones con prudencia y sabiduría. Él nos ha dado nuestros talentos y cualidades, nuestros familiares y amigos, tantas otras personas buenas a nuestro lado, y las riquezas de la naturaleza. Preocupémonos y cuidémonos de todo lo que se nos ha encomendado para usarlo bien y para dar gloria a Dios.