The master praised the dishonest steward for his astuteness. For the children of this world are more astute in dealing with their own kind than are the children of light.
Lk.16:8
Jesus tells the parable of the shrewd servant. The servant's astuteness in time of trouble is to show mercy.
Showing mercy to debtors was going to stand the servant in good stead in the troubled times that were coming to him. Jesus holds this up as an example for "children of the light", for me. Calling mercy shrewd does not lessen the power of what mercy does, both for the giver and the receiver.
It's my acts of mercy that will hold in me in good stead on the day of judgement. Is this just self-serving? Jesus doesn't think so. Mercy insists on being self-giving. The other is deemed more important than any rights I think I may have. Today is a day for dispensing mercy, shrewdly.
Jesus, you lift up mercy as a great virtue that opens the door to grace. Help me be a merciful servant today.
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.
No comments:
Post a Comment