Compassion is our Passion
05 November 2021, Friday of the 31st Week in the Ordinary Time
Commemoration of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Lk 16: 1-8
Shocked. I guess, many of us are shocked as to how the Gospel of today ends when Jesus said, “For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than the children of light.” Isn’t it that the children of light are in contrast with the children of the world? By praising the steward for squandering his master’s property, it seems that Jesus permits a morality that breaks relationships, undermines trust and advocates evil. Is this so?
Shaken. The parables are to shake our common ways of thinking and feeling to challenge our ways of acting. In today’s parable, Jesus never praises the steward who is dishonest and who cheats. When the steward came to know about the consequences of his actions, he was prudent enough to find ways to save himself by settling with those who are in debt to his master. He used his being “street smart”/enterprising, in a positive way, to bring about something good, not only for himself but for others as well.
Share. There are two lesson that we can learn and are worth sharing with others. One, we are called to act prudently in our service of the Lord. Sr Bernardita Dianzon, fsp said that as Christians, we can be clever in navigating that tortuous ways of the world without being dishonest. Two, we need to make use of our God given capacities so that we can discover and maximize many opportunities to advance God’s reign. The world is not totally evil. If we discern the Spirit’s movement in the world, we can discover that there are some positive traits among worldly people.
Henry Sy once said, “When I see people, I see money.” Okay, it seems that people are reduced to objects. But look at how he worked hard to gain success. Steve Jobs criticized Microsoft by saying, “The only problem with Microsoft is that they just have no taste.” Okay, he’s too competitive. Our very own Jose Rizal is not a saint but ponder to this statement that he made, “On this battlefield man has no better weapon than his intelligence, no other force but his heart.” That’s courage at its best.
They put up their businesses, reached the peak of corporate life, earned higher degrees and even made lots of money. If they were moved by passion, why not we, as Christians, make the values of God’s reign, of which compassion is at the very heart of it, be our passion. Today is the 1st Friday of the month. The Sacred Heart of Jesus is telling us that it is not enough to be shocked and to be shaken. We need to share. What are we to share that makes us credible witnesses of God’s reign? We are to share two things: (1) our passion for God and (2) our compassion for humanity. Amen.
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