Care

Gospel

Lk 16:1-8

Jesus 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 measures 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."

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God provides so we are well.
Care for one another just the same.

What is given you is for the children of God, and yourself; do not, therefore, waste or squander your talents, but if you detect yourself wavering from the way of the Lord, renew your zeal and you will be strengthened and born again to delight in the discovery of the blessings of life.

Now, this is a variance; if you find yourself attracted to the things of the world, to pleasure and comfort derived from earthly things, immediately do penance so you may make amends and change your soul so that it is only the Lord Himself you crave, and you will  be saved. For it is the man who craves delights, that is separated from the Lord in his heart and in danger of dying because he turned away from God.

What is true for one man may be true for all, so that if whole nations were diverted from the Lord, that nation is lost and in danger of perdition. The Lord loves every one of us without exception, and with a perfect and potent affection so that He mourns the loss of a single soul as much as He would the entire world.

The Lord, Jesus, said that we are like a grapevine; as long as the juices of the vine are flowing freely to all the vines, the vineyard flourishes and produces juice that is made into wine that everyone desires. It is the fermentation of the juices that produces the vintage.The fermentation produces alcohol which lifts the heart and can mislead us, because it is easy and delightful to cherish the wine, but if we cherish it too much, we forsake the Lord and are led astray from the Lord and His graces which provide eternal life.

You, I think, are faithful to the Lord if you have read this far. If you are faithful to the Lord, you reject death and anything that separates you from the life of God. Let your teaching be filled with the light and life of God in every word, and the children of God will be well and find happiness and give thanks to God and so be safe in Him unto the day  of judgement.

He provides water and food and the things you need to live, so that you should give thanks and bless the Lord. Teach others to do the same so that all of you are close to the Lord and know His saving ways.

It was not through ease and pleasure that the Lord, Jesus saved us and in giving saving graces to you, expects you to use what He has given, to draw souls to Him. You must use His goodness and providence to preserve the childhood of the children of God. The steward in the parable wasted the goods of  the master, and the master changed his opinion of the steward when he saw what was happening. God blesses those who use their gifts for His children, for his care and foresight provided for everyone abundantly, and He approves of industry. Pray to be guided to use your gifts profitably so that the Lord approves. A good steward is never under suspicion, but his good works prove him just, and the Lord blesses the just.

If you have done good, then likewise you have been a cause to be approved, and those who were liable to end in perdition, were drawn out of peril to be safe with God. Thus, not only the body but also the soul were well and the Lord was happy with you. He will approve you before His children and exalt you in great happiness because you held the Lord, God in such high esteem.