There are so many spiritual weapons at our disposal. The sacraments, especially daily Mass and frequent confession. Prayer - especially in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Fasting - keeping our stomachs or material things from becoming our Gods, as St. Paul tells us. Almsgiving - sharing what we have and working for justice for the poorest and most vulnerable. Friendship with the saints. Hundreds of devotions, including consecrations to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In our Catholic tradition, we have so many spiritual weapons at our disposal, so many ways to keep our hearts set on the highest things of heaven, rather than on focusing narrowly on our own comfort and prosperity. Yet, we oftentimes remain in our sins, and the momentum they have in our lives seems to remain greater than our willpower and our growth in virtue.
Jesus tells his disciples through the parable not to be discouraged or to lose heart. When faced with a sin that persists, or with a difficult situation where we do not know exactly what to do, or with the enormity of our own vocation, we are to simply look at the other areas of our lives where we are effective and to make similar progress in the spiritual life. The dishonest steward is good at making deals to keep himself afloat in today's parable. Of course we should not imitate his dishonesty, but Jesus proposes his resourcefulness and getting what he wants. We have so many spiritual weapons at our disposal. We just have to become better at using them, instead of remaining pushovers who give in to sin to easily, and accept less than that for which we are made. If we really desire holiness, we can't take shortcuts, but there is plenty of help available for us, and plenty of nifty tricks we can use against Satan on our way to perfection. Jesus encourages us to never lower our standards, but to look around at the resources available to us. He challenges us to find a way to get the job done! +m
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