Friday of the 31st week in ordinary time year A
Rom. 15:14-21 Luke 16:1-8
Theme: Your stewardship
Today the church celebrates the memorial of St. Leo the Great, Pope and doctor of the church. It was during his reign as a Pope that the council of Chalcedon was held in 451, where it was defined that Christ is one Divine person with two natures, divine and human. He is also remembered for his profound liturgical writing and eloquence. In his life we see what it means to give a good account of one’s stewardship. He lived his life as someone who knew that he would someday give an account of how he lived his life here on earth. So, he used his time and the gifts given to him by God, for the good of humanity and to the greater glory of God. This is one of the reasons why we celebrate him today in church. He lived a good life and gave a good account of his stewardship here on earth. One very important question we must ask ourselves today as we celebrate him is, are you ready and prepared to give a good account of your stewardship when the time comes? This is something that we all know must happen at a particular point in time in our lives, are you ready for it?
In the gospel reading of today, we see the scenario that is painted in the story that was told by Jesus, about the rich man and his steward. The steward was dishonest when he found out that it was time for him to give account of his stewardship to his master. He was not ready and prepared for a day he would have to give account of his stewardship, he was living his life in a carefree way, until the reality of the situation donned on him and took him unawares. This points out the great difference between the steward in Jesus’ story and the saint whose memorial we celebrate today. When the time to give account came for St. Leo the Great, there was no need for any form of dishonesty because he lived a life that was in line with the teachings of Christ, unlike the dishonest steward.
In view of this, we are all encouraged today to be mindful of the kind of life we lead, because a day will come when we must give account of the kind of life we have lived. We still have the opportunity right now to take the path that will lead us to eternal life, like St. Leo the Great did in his lifetime. So, we don’t make the same mistake that was made by the dishonest steward. We pray that through the intercession of St. Leo the Great, God will grant us the grace to live and give a good account of our stewardship at the end of our earthly pilgrimage, in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit. Amen. Peace be with you.