Act With Prudence
Friday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time
Read this Gospel passage aloud to the family
Luke 16:1-8- Then he also 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 kors 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.”
(Parent) Reread this part a few times aloud
“And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently.”
(Parent) Read this meditation aloud to the family
Jesus is not encouraging dishonesty, of course, but He is pointing out the cleverness of the steward in His parable. Jesus expects His disciples to be very keen in their dealings with the world in which they live.
He expects this of Christians today, too. We should be aware of what is going on in politics and the world. We must not let ourselves be bulldozed by false ideologies and secular progress. On the contrary, we must be more clever, more prudent, and more devoted to our Christian cause. Is there any simple way that we can become more versed in the cultural conversation (e.g., have a conversation, read one solid Catholic blog)? We have to be very prudent today, for setting ourselves and others up well for tomorrow.
As a family, pray a portion of the Rosary together (very short if children are young) reflecting on the Scripture passage above. (Optional: allow a brief time for discussion or questions from children concerning their thoughts and prayer.)
Reminder for Parents: Pier is just meant to be a jumping off point. The real goal is that you pray & eventually use the fruits of your personal prayer as the content of your family’s prayer. Duc in altum.
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