Human ingenuity is amazing! When you think about how many examples of brilliance there are, it is incredible. Maybe the pyramids come to mind. Or Hoover Dam. Or the smartphone or robotics that assist doctors in delicate surgeries. Any of these would just be the tip of the iceberg. As people, made in God’s image and likeness, we have been given a sliver of the Creator’s genius. There is something within us that loves to create, build, and fix. I remember one of the moments I experienced this divine inspiration in solving a problem. It was amazing.
My dad had an old Plymouth horizon. It had some serious issues. For example, the engine mounts were broken and when the driver hit the gas, the engine would lurch back towards the firewall. The result was that the shifter would fly back until it was stopped by the center console…. or your hand. If it pinned your hand, it hurt and you just had to wait until it was safe for mom or dad to let off the gas so you could have your hand back. We eventually figured out that this was a great can crusher. But this wasn't the moment of genius. The Horizon’s exhaust had rusted out between the engine and the muffler. I knew I could patch it but as a pre-teen, my overly protective parents wouldn’t let me have welding equipment. So I started with duct tape. That was a no-go and it melted in minutes. Next I tried a cloth, and I should mention clean, diaper. A little better but it too burned up quickly. Knowing that metal was the answer, I got 4 large landscaping spikes and clamps and tried to force everything back together. It worked until the spikes got loose and fell out. If you inexplicably had a landscaping spike in your tire 20 years ago, I am sorry and now you know why. Finally, after staring at that exhaust pipe for hours instead of homework, it came to me. It was almost the exact same size as a can of tomato paste. I acquired one, took two radiator clamps, and sure enough it worked until the car could be properly fixed. I was so proud of myself and felt like I had really used all of my gifts to make a difference in the world. I hope all of you have experienced this sort of fulfillment that comes from solving a problem with your ingenuity.
That cleverness is what is on display in the gospel today. Jesus tells the story of a dishonest steward whose self-serving behavior is discovered by the master. A steward was an important job in the ancient world. A steward was someone, usually a servant, who was entrusted with the property and wealth of their master while he was away on business. The duties of a steward were mostly limited to things, but they could even be asked to take care of the master’s family, especially his children. A good steward was the source of great joy and pride to the master while an incompetent one was considered a humiliation and a liability.
This steward was a disaster. He was wheeling and dealing with his master’s wealth for his own benefit. He was not doing his job of protecting the estate of his employer. Large debts were being handled and we can only imagine the amount of wealth that was squandered by the dishonest servant over time. He shrewdly forgives debts in the name of his master to ensure there will be people who owe him favors when he is fired.
One of the most surprising things about this parable comes at the end, when the dishonest steward is praised and admired by his master. He is not praised for his wickedness, rather, he is admired for his cleverness in taking care of himself and providing for his well-being in this life. Each of us are called to be clever stewards as well, not to become rich and comfortable in this life, but to secure everlasting life in heaven. And we are called to do this in a way that pleases God and gives glory to his name.
Why do we need to hear this parable? Because we are all stewards as well. Each of us has been entrusted with the wealth of God in some way. He gives us a piece of his Divine Life to carry in our souls. He blesses us with many different talents and gifts. Our families and friends, as well as the money we have, the car we drive and the house we live in, are all treasures from God and ultimately belong to Him. He gives us these different things to take care of while we are here on earth. When we die, we will be asked to give an account of our stewardship of these gifts.
So perhaps we can take some time this week to evaluate ourselves as stewards. How well are we taking care of the blessings God has given us? Jesus makes it clear in the gospel that those who are faithful in small things will be faithful in large things. And those who are dishonest in small things will be dishonest in large things too. The steward in our parable didn’t start out by wasting a great deal of his master’s wealth. But eventually he ended up doing just that. And we can do the same thing in our own lives. Perhaps we begin to squander the gift of our families by neglecting to spend good, quality time with them, whether as children, siblings, or parents. Or maybe we begin to throw away the blessings of our faith by failing to make time in our busy schedules for God, or frequently leaving Mass early or skipping Mass altogether. Do we allow ourselves to cut corners in our jobs by giving less than we are capable of or by leaving work a little early. If we are not vigilant, these sort of things can cause us to become poor and dishonest stewards to God and each other. We must make a constant effort to be faithful in small things everyday so that we will be faithful in the larger matters of life.
Don’t stop being clever and ingenious! Continue to use the brilliance God gave you to make a better world and solve problems. But first and foremost, put that ingenuity to work making sure you get to heaven. That is the essence of stewardship and that is the best way to honor the gifts God has entrusted to us.
