Friday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Good Stewards
Liturgical Cycle: C | Lectionary Cycle: I
Introduction
Paul excuses himself for interfering in the affairs of the Church of Rome, for it was not founded by him. But he will rely on the Romans for his missionary journeys to the West. He has two basic reasons for dealing with them: collegiality – for he is an apostle like the others – and his priestly ministry as evangelizer bringing the good news to all.
Whatever the unknown context of today’s parable may have been, the central thought of Jesus’ words seems to be this: Much has been entrusted to us and we will have to give an account for it to God. We must act responsibly, keeping our goal in mind: God and our neighbor. Let us be people who try to know where we are going and what we are doing.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
you have made us responsible with you
for many persons and things:
for ourselves, for other people,
for the future of this world.
May we be good stewards
of all you have entrusted to us.
Help us to use our talents wisely and well
in the service of all that is good,
always inspired by faith
and living in the love
of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (see 2b) The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever keeps the word of Christ,
the love of God is truly perfected in him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
At another time, Jesus told his disciples:
“There was a rich man, whose steward was reported to him because of fraudulent service.
He summoned the steward and asked him:
‘What is this I hear about you? I want you to give an account of your service, for it is about to be terminated.’
The steward thought to himself, ‘What am I supposed to do now? My master will definitely fire me. I am not strong enough to do hard labor, and I am ashamed to beg.
I know what I will do: I must ensure that when I am dismissed, there will be people who will welcome me into their homes.’
So he called his master’s debtors, one by one. He asked the first debtor:
‘How much do you owe my master?’
The reply was:
‘A hundred jars of oil.’
The steward said:
‘Here is your bill. Sit down quickly and write fifty.’
To the second debtor, he asked the same question:
‘How much do you owe?’
The answer was:
‘A hundred measures of wheat.’
Then the steward said:
‘Take your bill and write eighty.’
The master praised the dishonest steward for his sharpness, because the people of this world are often more clever at handling their own generation than are the people of light.
Prayers of the Faithful
– For the Church, that it may be a serving Church and a Church of the poor, bearing witness to God’s gratuitousness as a living parable of sharing, we pray:
– For those in positions of responsibility in politics, finances and the economy, that honesty, justice and concern for the good of all may guide their decisions and actions, we pray:
– For those who live by the work of their hands, that people may recognize their dignity and the service they render to all, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
in these gifts we bring before you
our toil and care,
with the aspirations and sufferings
of people far and near.
Let us always entrust to you everything
for which you have made us responsible,
not to refuse our task but to ask you to give us
the patience and the strength
with your help to bring everything to a good end.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
we are but weak and timid
and yet we know that you expect much of us.
Open our hearts to the bold Spirit
of Jesus, your Son,
that in us and through us he may bring to a good end
all you have begun in us
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Blessing
God has entrusted much to us to be thankful for: our talents, our friends and relatives, other people, even nature. Let us care for everything entrusted to us. May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
REFLECTIONS
7 November 2025
Luke 16:1-8
Brothers and sisters, today Jesus gives us a puzzling parable—the dishonest steward. At first sight, it looks like the Lord is praising dishonesty. But in reality, he is teaching us about how to live wisely and responsibly, because our life is not our own—we are administrators, not owners.
First, Jesus warns us about squandering. Life is the most precious treasure God entrusts to us, but sometimes we waste it. We think we are the masters of our time, but we are only stewards. When we give more to work than to family, or more to pleasure than to responsibility, we lose balance. Saint Augustine reminds us: “Protect order, and order will protect you.”We are called to live with balance and moderation, mindful that our life belongs to God.
Second, the parable leads us to ask: “What shall I do?” The steward, facing crisis, searched for a way forward. We too must ask ourselves: What is my path? What is my mission? What talents has God entrusted to me? Each of us has a gift, a unique way to bring life and joy to others. When we discover it, we stop drifting and begin to live with purpose.
Third, Jesus highlights the steward’s astuteness. He prepared for his future, even if dishonestly. The lesson for us is this: be wise, be kind, and treat others well. Positions, power, and wealth all pass away. Life, as we know, turns like an omelet—today we may be on top, tomorrow at the bottom. That is why we must never forget humility and kindness, because at the end, what matters is not status but love.
And here lies the challenge of the Gospel: if people of the world are so committed to securing their comfort, should not we, children of the light, be even more committed to securing eternal life? Jesus invites us to put the same energy, creativity, and determination into our faith that we so often pour into work or pleasure.
So let us live wisely. Let us administer our life not for passing gains, but for the Kingdom. Then, at the end, Christ will welcome us—not as dishonest stewards, but as faithful servants who lived with love.
Imitate the good deed of the crooked and not the bad
Today’s parable brings a certain confusion because, apparently, Jesus is praising the dishonest administrator, and this cannot be recommended for us Christians to imitate! We are expecting a different conclusion. Jesus should have said to his disciples: “Do not act like this villain; be honest!” Instead, he approves of what he did. The difficulty lies here: how could a dishonest person be offered as a model?
This difficulty does not exist if the parable is interpreted in a different way. Remember, the owner praised his former administrator for his shrewdness. The owner would have been outraged if he had further cheated the owner before leaving the office. This means that when the dishonest steward makes the debtors rewrite their promissory notes, the master does not lose anything.
The reason was that the deal between the stewards and the owner is that the stewards must deliver a certain amount to their owner. Still, they would usually charge much more from the debtors, and whatever extra was collected could get into their pockets. It was the technique used by the tax collectors to enrich themselves.
What does the shrewd servant do? He decides to forgo the profit he was expected to have. Then, the admiration of the owner and the praise of Jesus have a logical explanation.
The administrator was shrewd—says the Lord—because he understood on which to bet on: not on goods, products that he was entitled to, that could rot or be stolen, but on friends. He knew how to renounce the first to conquer the second for himself.
Therefore, Jesus is not praising bribery or corruption, but he is appreciating his shrewdness to give up his bad profits to gain friends! It is the path of “Christian cleverness”. This path allows us to be cunning but not according to the spirit of the world. Jesus himself tells us: “be wise as serpents, innocent as doves.” This Christian cleverness is a gift; it is a grace that the Lord gives to us.
Explaining this passage, Pope Francis called on Christians to pray for people who are dishonest and corrupt in their work places. They feed their children with dirty bread, earned through dirty, unjust, dishonest money. This will deprive them of their dignity. Ask the Lord to change the hearts of those who are corrupt and take bribery. That they may understand that dignity comes from noble work, from honest work, from daily work, and not from the easy road which in the end strips them of everything. When they face death, these people who lost their dignity through the practice of bribery do not take with them anything they earned. Let us pray for them.
Wisdom, prudence and purity of heart
In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the dishonest steward, prompting us to examine our approach to wealth, integrity, and resourcefulness. In the story, the steward, faced with the loss of his position, uses clever—though morally questionable—means to secure his future. Surprisingly, his master commends his shrewdness. This praise, however, is not an endorsement of dishonesty.
Many biblical scholars suggest that the wealth the steward forfeits is the excessive interest he had secretly added to his master’s debtors. By relinquishing this extra profit, he hopes to gain favour with those he has dealt with unfairly.
Worldliness often tempts us to prioritise success and security through shortcuts, even if it means compromising our values. It may seem like everyone around us is bending the rules or succumbing to bribes. Yet, Jesus warns that such paths undermine our dignity. While corruption may offer quick rewards, it ultimately leaves us spiritually impoverished.
Jesus calls us to a different kind of cleverness: “Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” Christian cleverness is about using our gifts with honesty and creativity, trusting that God will provide for our needs in ways that honour our dignity and His commandments. This approach to life requires us to rely on the Holy Spirit, who grants us wisdom to navigate challenges without compromising our values.
Today, let us pray for those entangled in corruption, that they may find the courage to choose a path of integrity and regain their dignity. May we also seek the grace of Christian cleverness, a wisdom that blends prudence with purity of heart, allowing us to serve God and others with honesty and love.