Word to the Wise
Saturday, November 8, 2025 - Saturday in the 31th Week in Ordinary Time
[Rom 16:3-9, 16, 22-27 and Luke 16:9-15]I tell you, make friends for yourself with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings." [Luke]
This line immediately follows the parable of the Dishonest Servant, which we read yesterday. Jesus praised the dishonest servant for acting in his own interest while benefiting his boss and the debtors at the same time. It is assumed that the steward was "taking a commission" from the payments and was inflating the debts to allow for that. So his wealth was clearly "dishonest." But to focus on that is to miss the bigger picture. All wealth in the Gospel According to Luke leads to corruption and selfishness and insensitivity to the needs of others. The parables of the Rich Man and Lazarus and the Rich Fool are further examples in this gospel.
The old question comes to mind: "Do I own my 'stuff?' Or does my 'stuff' own me?" What do I do with what I have to help my neighbor? This may be material things or it just may be a particular skill or talent. The parable of the Good Samaritan, also only in Luke, shows a man who overcame a traditional prejudice through compassion for the robbers' victim, gave first aid and then saw to further treatment. In short, unshared wealth is "dishonest wealth." The shorthand expression of "time, treasure and talent" comes to mind when we ask what we have that we can use for others. AMEN