Repentance Is for Today

This homily examines the difficult Parable of the Unjust Steward through St. Augustine’s insight that Christ commends the steward not for his dishonesty, but for the urgency and foresight with which he prepares for his future. If the children of this world devote such energy, attention, and ingenuity to securing temporary prosperity, Christians should examine how seriously they pursue the eternal Kingdom of God. The great danger is not necessarily that we reject repentance, prayer, generosity, forgiveness, or spiritual growth, but that we continually postpone them, believing the subtle lie that “repentance is for tomorrow.” Yet the past cannot be changed, the future is not promised, and the present is the only time actually given to us. Christian urgency, however, is not motivated by terror but by love for a merciful Father and gratitude that the door of repentance remains open. Therefore, Christ calls us to be shrewd for the Kingdom: to recognize every ordinary opportunity to become more like Him and to begin again today—to pray, give, forgive, read, repent, and give thanks while there is still time.