This Sunday's Gospel contains the parable of the dishonest steward. When the steward's master is informed about the steward's misuse of his property, he calls him and asks for a full report on his stewardship because he will soon be removed from his position. God is the master in this parable, and each of us is the steward. Everything we are and have is not ours but God's: life, time, our bodies, our physical, artistic, and intellectual abilities, and even material possessions. Everything is a gift from God, and God gives it to us to use well and not waste.

While this parable invites us to think about the final judgment, it serves as a final opportunity for us to prepare for the day of judgment. It is important to note that the master does not call the steward to immediate accountability but rather gives him a little more time to prepare his final report. This is God's way. God does not treat us as our sins deserve but gives us time to repent and change. "I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live" (Ezekiel 33:11).

The master warns him that the day of his judgment is imminent, and he will dismiss him from his position. The Word of God makes it clear that the day of our judgment is approaching as well. We must be prepared for this to happen at any time, regardless of our age or health. On the day of our personal judgment at the end of our lives, we will cease to be stewards of all the possessions God has entrusted to us. Only our soul will remain, which will need a place to be received. This is what worries the steward. As God warns of a coming judgement, the steward’s urgent question becomes a vital one for all of us: "What am I going to do now?"

Before looking at this question, I would like to invite you to reflect on the fact that God gives us warnings before calling us to give the full and final report. These warnings can be subtle or obvious. A subtle warning can be this homily or someone else's example. An obvious warning can be our own tragedy. Let's now look at the Lord's intention in giving us the example of the dishonest steward. The Lord doesn't want to encourage us to be dishonest, but rather prudent. Of course, this steward's prudence is false prudence. The steward intelligently arranges all things well to achieve the end that benefits him. Given one last opportunity, the steward again defrauds his master, but this time it’s to secure his own future.

That intelligence is what the Lord commends. As opposed to the generation of darkness or sin to which this steward belongs, the Lord comments that it would be good for the generation of the light to use their intelligence prudently to dispose well of the things that must be done for the ultimate purpose of salvation. The prudence of using stolen goods to obtain gratitude is not what the Lord wants to teach us. Theft and corruption are evil, period. What the Lord teaches is that we should take advantage of all opportunities God gives us to dispose well of all the things within our reach, all that God has given us, to do much good in this world.

The parable of the dishonest steward challenges us with an important question we need to ask ourselves today: What are we going to do now that God warns us that judgment is approaching? We all have flaws, failures that the Word of God invites us to face today. The good news from the Lord is that He assures us it is never too late to make things right. Generosity helps with our sins as the Book of Sirach teaches us: "Alms atone for sins" (Sirach 3:29).

Let us humbly ask the Lord to help us take his warnings seriously and be truly prudent in all matters related to our final salvation.