27 October 2012 Parable of the unjust steward “A certain rich man”, said Jesus, “had a steward, and charges were reported to him that he had squandered his property. He summoned him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear of you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be my steward.’” (Lk 16:1-2) The steward who could not possibly show his accounts, was in great trouble. How was he to subsist for the future? He said to himself, “What shall I do? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.” (Lk 16:3) I am this steward. God is that rich Master who owns everything. He has confided a small but precious portion of them to my care: my body and its senses; my soul and its wonderful faculties; my time, my life, my liberty; many gifts of grace. And an infinity of creatures are placed in my possession. One day, when I am least thinking of it, he will demand a rigorous account of my administration of these possessions. Woe to me if it has not been in conformity with his will and commandments. If I have taken the fruit of these possessions for myself, instead of giving them to him only. Are my accounts in order? If at this moment he were to call me, and say, ‘Give an account of your stewardship’, should I be less worried than the unjust steward? What did the steward do to get out of his difficulty? “I know what to do, that when I am dismissed as steward people may receive me into their homes.” (Lk 16:4) Therefore, calling all of his lord’s debtors, he said to the first, “How much do you owe my lord?” He said, “A hundred barrels of oil.” And he said to him, “Take your bill, sit down quickly and write fifty” (Lk 16:5-6). He did the same with all the other debtors. “And the lord commended the dishonest steward for he had acted shrewdly; for”, added our Lord, “the children of this age are wiser in their own generation than are the children of light” (Lk 16:8). Jesus did not mean to approve the fraud of this steward, but to embarass us for the little care we give to our spiritual interests. He shows that the children of this world are all more industrious and farsighted in management of their temporal affairs than the men devoted to spiritual matters. Jesus concluded: “And I tell you, ‘Make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes’.” (Lk 16:9) We are poor. How then can we, according to Our Lord’s precept, give alms to the poor, that they may intercede for us? We can do it by inducing the rich to give more. Or, by giving spiritual alms which will more effectively enable them to reach heaven and become our intercessors there. Besides, faith shows us that in purgatory are the souls of poor people far more worthy of compassion, because they cannot help themselves, than those we see. Ref: Cf “Practical Meditations” by a Father of the Society of Jesus, 1964, pp672-4 Truthfulness and Justice In order to practise the human virtues, we need to make a sustained effort, since it is not easy to maintain a spirit of honesty and integrity for any length of time when faced with situations that seem to put our own safety at risk. Take truthfulness, a virtue so clean and pure. Can it be true that it has fallen into disuse? Has the practice of compromise, of “gilding the pill” and “putting on a show” finally triumphed? People are afraid of the truth and to justify their attitude, they make the shabby excuse that no one practises or tells the truth anymore, that everyone has to resort to pretense and lies. Fortunately this is not so. There are many people, Christians or not, who are ready to sacrifice honour and reputation for the sake of the truth; people who aren’t always turning this way and that in search of “the warmest place in the sun”. Because they love the truth, are happy to put things right when they discover they have made a mistake; whereas those who begin by lying, for whom the truth has become merely a high-sounding word to cover up their baseness, refuse to make amends. If we are truthful we will practise justice: giving to each one his due. I must go further and say that this is not enough. However much a particular person is due, we must be ready to give him more, because each single soul is a masterpiece of God. The best way of living charity lies in generously outstripping the demands made on us by justice. Such charity will generally go unnoticed, but very fruitful in heaven; indeed also on earth. It would be a mistake to think that when expressions such as the “the happy mean” or “a just mean” are used regarding the moral virtues, they imply mediocrity, or somehow aiming at doing half of what we could do. The mean we are asked to aim at lies midway between excess and defect, and is in fact a summit, a peak: the best course of action, as indicated to us by prudence. Although when it comes to the theological virtues, there is no middle course. We cannot believe, or hope, or love too much. We are called to love God without limit, with a love that overflows to those around us in an abundance of generosity, understanding, and charity. Ref: Cf St Josemaria Escrivá, “Friends of God”, 82, 83 Meditations on the Litany of Loreto ‘Help of Christians’ -- St John Damascene calls Mary ‘the prepared and always ready help of Christians, by which they are delivered from dangers’. The help of Mary is, as St Cosmas of Jerusalem writes, ‘all-powerful to deliver us from sin and hell’. St Bernard, addressing Mary, says, ‘Thou art an invincible warrior in defence of thy servants, fighting against the devils who assail them’. Thus, she is called “terrible as an army set in battle array” (Cant 6:3). My Queen, had I always had recourse to you, I should never have been conquered by my enemies. Henceforth, you shall be my strength: in my temptations I will always go to you; from you do I hope for victory. Ref: “The Glories of Mary.” In “Documentation Service”, V:327 Human Respect -- “May we have the courage always to act in public in accordance with our holy faith.” (St Josemaria Escrivá, “Furrow”, 46) • Our Lady of the Basilla, in Lombardy, beyond the Po, where there is a church built by the express order of Our Lady. — Albert Leander, Descriptio Italiae. (“Catholic Gems or Treasures of the Church” Historical Calendar; www.bethlehemobserver.com) • Our Lady of “La Basilla” (Lombardy, Italy). (maryfest.htm / www.starharbor.com/santiago/m_feasts.html); (www.miraclehunter.com/marian_apparitions/calendar/index.html) • “Madonna della Basillia”. Lombardy, Italy. (www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm) • Dedication of the Basilica of Our Lady, Help of Christians, Turin, Italy. Built by St John Bosco (1868). (www/divinewill.org/feastsofourlady.html); (www.iskandar.com/ourlady/ourladyfeasts.html); (www.miraclehunter.com/marian_apparitions/calendar/index.html); (www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm); (http://www/mariedenazareth.com)