The Unjust Steward

One of the most difficult of the parables to understand is that of the Unjust Steward. At first reading Jesus appears to be praising the actions of the steward, which are manifestly unjust toward his master. Jesus exhorts us not to follow the steward in his actions, but in his foresight:

"There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? Give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward. Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? For my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. So he called every one of his lord's debtor's unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore. And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations" (Lk. 16:1-9).

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There has been much discussion of this parable, some commentary wise, and some faulty. As the Venerable Bede says, Our Lord exhorts us here to give alms to the poor as penance for our sins. The worldly wise man was cunning in that he saw that "judgment day" was coming. The steward's lord warned him that an accounting was coming, and soon. The wicked man (as the children of light tend to do with their spiritual wealth) squandered his master's wealth instead of following his master's command to build his kingdom.

Like the worldly steward, we receive a stewardship from our Lord. We receive graces and talents. Jesus Christ opens to us the coffers of His Church and gives us graces through the Sacraments, His Real Presence, and the company of angels and saints. He gives us talents with which to give Him glory, to spread His love and to do His will. Every single one of us is in the shoes of the unjust steward in two ways:
[1] We have all in some degree squandered our stewardship in that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23); and
[2] We therefore need to cooperate in the salvation won for us by Jesus Christ by sharing the bounty we receive from our Master with others.

If we are wise, we will prepare for that day when we shall meet our God. We have sinned and we have not always used our gifts properly, far from it. He gives us the opportunity to make amends. (Thank God for that!) The wise man looks forward and finds all kinds of ingenious ways to care for God's children in this life, so as to build up graces for the next, so that his earthly goods and talents, in union with Christ earn him God's favor on the last day. As Christ Himself says of that day: "Whatsoever you did to the least of My brethren, you did unto Me."

The earthly wise build up capital for a comfortable retirement. They spend countless hours working and calculating their investment to ensure their comfort and an inheritance for their heirs. Those of us with Faith, on the other hand often put off our preparation for a heavenly "retirement" until the last minute, as if we would live forever. This is precisely what Jesus meant when He said that the children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light in theirs. A wise Christian lives his life in the light, loving God and his neighbor now, making reparation now to prepare for an eternity with Jesus.

Ave Maris Stella, Mary Star of the Sea

Hail bright star of ocean,
God's own Mother blest,
Ever sinless Virgin,
Gate of heavenly rest

Taking that sweet Ave
Which from Gabriel came,
Peace confirm within us,
Changing Eva's name.

All I am is thine, and all I have belongs to Thee, Lord Jesus through Thy holy and immaculate Mother.

If my first article honors Our Blessed Lord in the most holy Eucharist, this one should honor His mother. The above prayer is a beautiful hymn, often sung traditionally at Vespers. Our Lady's title: "Mary, Star of the Sea" is a title of Our Lady used since at least the ninth century, and some scholars claim that it is the earliest title of Our Lady, postulating that the phrase "Our Lady" in Aramaic had an alternate meaning of a pilot who would navigate the desert or the sea by the stars, leading the people under her care to safety. Ancient wayfarers and mariners staked their very lives on the constant guidance of the light of the stars. Likewise, we are to guide our spiritual lives through the storms and trials of life by Mary, Star of the Sea. She is our guide to Her Son.

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux wrote: "If the winds of temptation arise; If you are driven upon the rocks of tribulation look to the star, call on Mary; If you are tossed upon the waves of pride, of ambition, of envy, of rivalry, look to the star, call on Mary. Should anger, or avarice, or fleshly desire violently assail the frail vessel of your soul, look at the star, call upon Mary."

St. Louis de Montfort said that in these times, God wishes His Mother to become better known and loved, indeed He wishes her to be loved more than she has ever been. St. Louis exhorts us to place ourselves under her guidance as Mary, Star of the Sea. It is through her, he says, that we will perceive her splendors and experience her motherly kindness and affection. In Mary, Star of the Sea, we will find the "safest, easiest, shortest and most perfect way" to find Jesus and belong entirely to Him. (True Devotion to Mary para. 55).

If we feel weighed down by our troubles, by the burden of sin, by confusion and seeming unbearable trials, let us go to Mary, Star of the Sea. If we are able, let us wear her Brown Scapular, say her Rosary and consecrate our whole being to her Immaculate Heart. At very least, let us raise a prayer to her, if we are so weighed down that all we are capable of is to raise our eyes heavenward and say her name, she will come to us and guide us through this desert, this sea, this vale of tears. With her assistance we may rest assured that one day we will happily sail into the safe harbor of her heavenly embrace.


Postscript: I would highly recommend reading True Devotion to Mary by St. Louis de Montfort. The link brings you to the EWTN online edition.

Sparrow's Dwelling

For the sparrow hath found herself a house, and the turtledove a nest for herself where she may lay her young ones: Thy altars, O Lord of hosts, my king and my God. Psalm 83(84):4.

King David writes often of a longing for the house of the Lord, and often dreams of it and foresees its realization. His longing must have been acute: he brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem and it was his heart's longing to build a temple, yet God did not allow the mighty King David to build it, that task would fall to his son, Solomon.

In David's day, the dwelling place of the God of Israel was the Ark, and in Solomon's day in the Holy of Holies. Yet, we have something greater than the Ark, greater than the presence of the God of Israel in the Holy of Holies, for they had a shadow, a promise of that God Who would one day walk among men. Then, God's shadow was in the Ark, or in Solomon's day in the Holy of Holies, accessible to only the High Priest once a year.

In OUR day, we may enter God's Holy Temple - which is not in Jerusalem alone, but in every major metropolis, and in every humble village, in the stately Cathedrals or in the lowliest hovel. Our very God was born in a stable, He despises no earthly dwelling, but resides with us in the most intimate way. THIS is the good news: God lives among men! Not only did He walk the earth 2,000 years ago, He lives among us NOW in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. We receive Him in our hearts in Holy Communion. We may hold the most intimate discourse with Him "face to face" because He resides with us in His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Holy Eucharist day and night. He waits for us, He watches for us, He protects and guides us constantly.


Yes, we have a privilege and a treasure that the great and mighty King David did not have and Solomon in all his riches and splendor could not even fathom. We have God's dwelling: He dwells with us in His temple, the Holy Catholic Church in majesty and power, and in His most humble throne in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, and invites us to adore Him, love Him and wash in the waters of Baptism and Confession in order to receive Him in our Hearts. Jesus Christ tears the very fabric of time and makes us mystically present at His sacrifice at Calvary through Holy Mass. Can we have a greater privilege? Can Jesus Christ possibly love us more than this? Can we doubt for even a moment that Jesus Christ loves us with a burning furnace of charity and forgives us with an infinite ocean of mercy?

Venite Adoramus! Jesus invites us to dwell with Him in His house. Come, let us adore Him!

I have loved, O Lord, the beauty of thy house and the place where thy glory dwelleth. (Psalm 26:8.)

I dedicate this first post to a very dear and very wise friend who suggested I create a blog. Thank you for everything.