In his book A Church to Believe In, Avery Dulles described a disciple of Jesus as one who has “not yet arrived, a learner trying to comprehend strange words and unravel puzzling experiences.” When I first read those words, I found them comforting. The disciple is not meant to be the teacher but the learner. Jesus draws the disciples into closer relationship to him and asks that they trust him to lead them along the way.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus is not asking the disciples for a literal interpretation of the parable about the steward; rather he invites them to a deeper intimacy as children of light so that they will live according to God’s ways. The Gospels tell us that the disciples often missed the point Jesus was trying to convey to them, thinking the message was for other listeners. Jesus chided them for not having “eyes to see or ears to hear,” even though they walked with him and saw what he did.
In today’s liturgy, the Gospel acclamation assures us that “whoever keeps the word of Christ, the love of God is truly perfected in him.” We pray for confidence in the God who leads us, as in the communion antiphon, “You will show me the path of life, the fullness of joy in your = presence.” I wonder if the deeper message for us today is simply to trust and embrace with humility our call as disciples who are always learners on the way, knowing that God’s ways are not necessarily our ways.
