Daily Thought for September 18, 2022

Creativity & The Mission of the Church

Lectio

Luke 16:1–13

Meditatio

“For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.”

Setting aside the confusing discussion of what the steward actually did before and after getting fired, let’s look at why Jesus is telling this parable in the first place. The moral is basically that the children of light (that’s us) can learn from the creative problem-solving of the steward, who represents the “children of this world.” Jesus is holding up not the steward’s concrete actions for us to learn from, but the prudence he shows.

In current usage, the term “prudence” is mostly associated with cautiousness, but that is not the true meaning of the word. Prudence is the virtue that helps us make sound judgments, a kind of practical wisdom. It’s called a cardinal virtue (remember those?) because it is a hinge for other virtues. (“Cardinal” comes from cardo, the Latin word for hinge.) With prudence we can judge whether a certain action is virtuous or not. We can judge that it would be right to help someone in a particular way, or to resist some wrong being done. Then other virtues come into play in actually carrying out what we have judged to be the right thing to do—generosity in helping someone, courage to speak up about the wrong, and so forth.

Jesus looks at the steward as someone who makes a practical decision about what he should do, and then carries out the decision with energy and creativity. How much more should the children of light follow his example!

Oratio

I need to look at how prudent I am, Jesus. My goal is ultimately to spend eternity with you and to help as many people as I can to do the same. But when I look at some of my daily choices, they don’t seem to be bringing me toward that goal. I sometimes live as if this life were all there is. That’s not prudent. I remember times in the past when I acted with much more creativity and determination toward my goal. Jesus, help me to recover some of that zeal and energy and to live as a child of the light.

Contemplatio

I want to live as a child of light (see Eph 5:8).

Daughters of St. Paul, Ordinary Grace Weeks 18–34: Daily Gospel Reflections, ed. Maria Grace Dateno and Marianne Lorraine Trouvé (Boston, MA: Pauline Books & Media, 2011), 136–137.