In yesterday's Gospel reading, Jesus commends the astuteness of the dishonest steward not in the latter's moral life but in his shrewdness in stewardship. Jesus hoped that "the sons of light" could have the same "shrewdness" in promoting the Kingdom of God.

Jesus transfers the principle of this parable to today's Gospel reading. He reminds us that we must use our present resources to plan for eternity. The money (mammon) which one befriends only and puts his trust in is fleeting and fair weather.But directed to the poor, it makes more reliable friends. For St. Luke, the poor and disadvantaged are the best friends to welcome us to the "tents of eternity."

So, if a person cannot be faithful in managing the tinest things (money), then he or she should not be trusted to be faithful in handling the most valuable things. Jesus states that serving two masters is an impossibility. If you think that you are successfully serving two masters, you are deceived. One can have both money and God, but one cannot serve both money and God.

This truth, expounded by Jesus, seems to be echoed by St. Paul in the first reading: "The Good News ... I proclaim Jesus Christ, the revelation of a mystery kept secret for endless ages, but now so clear that it must be broadcast to pagans everywhere to bring them to the obedience of faith."

We ought to have no other recourse but to join the Psalmist in extolling the greatness of the Lord: