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''"Make unto  you  friends  of  the  Mammon  of  iniquity  that when  you  shall  fail  they  may  receive  you  into  everlasting dwellings." — Luke xvi. 9.

Ex.: I.  Difficulty  of  parable. II. Israelites and  Rebecca. III. Four principles.

I. His  unconcern:  1. Sense of  ownership. 2. All  are stewards. 3. No  thought  of  morrow.

II. His sudden  call  :  1. Informers. 2. Warning  unheeded. 3. Death  of  worldling.

III. His device :  1. Effort, temporal  and  spiritual. 2. Master's praise. 3. Wisdom,  earthly,  heavenly.

Per. : Parable  of  St. John Damascene.

Brethren, more  than  one  eminent  interpreter  of the  Scriptures  has  been  forced  to  confess  that  of  all the parables  of  Our  Lord  this  one  of  the  unjust steward offers  the  gravest  difficulties. Even the profoundly erudite  Cajetan  gave  it  up  in  despair,  and to the  great  Cardinal  commentator,  you  know,  every theologian carries  his  doubts  and  perplexities. The chief fault  to  be  found  with  the  many  ingenious  or false  or  absurd  explanations  proposed  is,  that  they try to  evolve  more  meaning  out  of  Our  Lord's  words than their  Author  intended  them  to  convey. In their eagerness to  establish  a  perfect  similitude,  they  make all parallel  impossible,  for  from  the  fact,  for  instance, that his  master  commended  the  unjust  steward,  it cannot  be  concluded  that  God  could  ever  approve  of