Posted on 11/04/2022 7:25:40 AM PDT by fidelis
“For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than the children of light.” Luke 16:8b
This line comes at the conclusion of the parable of the Dishonest Steward. Jesus told this parable as a way of highlighting the fact that the “children of the world” are indeed successful in their manipulation of worldly things, whereas the “children of light” are not as shrewd when it comes to worldly things. So what does this tell us?
It certainly does not tell us that we should enter into a worldly life striving to live by worldly standards and working toward worldly goals. In fact, by acknowledging this fact about the worldly, Jesus is presenting us with a strong contrast as to how we should think and act. We are called to be the children of light. Therefore, we should not be surprised at all if we are not as successful in worldly things as others who are immersed in secular culture.
This is especially true when we look at the numerous “successes” of those who are fully immersed in the world and the values of the world. Some are successful in obtaining great wealth, power or prestige by being shrewd in things of this age. We see this in pop culture especially. Take, for example, the entertainment industry. There are many who are quite successful and popular in the eyes of the world and we can tend to have a certain envy of them. Compare that to those who are filled with virtue, humility and goodness. We often find that they go unnoticed.
So what should we do? We should use this parable to remind ourselves that all that matters, in the end, is what God thinks. How does God see us and the effort we give in living a holy life? As children of the light, we must work only for that which is eternal, not for that which is worldly and passing. God will provide for our worldly needs if we put our trust in Him. We may not become huge successes in accord with worldly standards, but we will obtain greatness in regard to all that truly matters and all that is eternal.
Reflect, today, upon your priorities in life. Are you focused on building up riches that are eternal? Or do you continually find yourself caught up in the manipulations and shrewdness that has as a goal only worldly success? Strive for that which is eternal and you will be eternally grateful.
My eternal Lord, help me to keep my eyes on Heaven. Help me to be one who is wise in the ways of grace, mercy and goodness. When I am tempted to live only for this world, help me to see what is of true value and stay focused on that alone. Jesus, I trust in You.
(Daily readings from the USCCB)
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The DR translation has this verse:
the children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light."
Whether describing the "children (or "sons") of this world" as "prudent" or "wiser"-
do you think it can be teased out from this to mean the Clergy and religious of the Church are NOT going to be the most effective when dealing with the moral decay of the generation they/we live in? (if assumed as being also "children of Light")
This verse has me confused... because if the Children of this world are better prepared to deal with problems at hand-
how (and who) do we identify those who can solve the problems -
if not looking toward the Church?
What is your take on just who it is that is the most prudent (or wiser) to deal with their own generation? (more so than religious.)
What is your take on just who it is that is the most prudent (or wiser) to deal with their own generation?
No, I don't think we can draw such a broad conclusion from this. Certainly there are many of the clergy and hierarchy throughout the history of the Church and in our own day that do a poor job in this respect, but there are also many laity too that this can be said about. Conversely, there have been and are both clergy and laity that have done a good job. I don't think it's a matter of being in one category or other, but wisdom and prudence depend on the individual and a mature relationship with Jesus. Arguably, all members of the Church are supposed to be children of light, not children of this age.
In the end, what is most important is to focus the majority of our efforts in making sure we ourselves are children of the age to come and not children of this world. In that way, we will be able to have the wisdom and prudence to be able to separate the false voices from the truth. A wise and prudent person is one who listens and watches, and then compares what he perceives to what we know to be true from the Sacred Scriptures, Sacred Tradition, and the established teaching of the Church. That way we will never follow the false and seductive voices of this age or be distracted by the foibles and bad teaching of some of the clergy. That is why knowledge of the Scriptures and the teaching of the Church is vital, even for ordinary Catholics. "The Church" is not just the clergy and our faith is not in them but in Jesus Christ and all he has infallibly taught us through the Church.
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