Developing a keen sense of management and accountability

THAT’S what we are reminded of in that gospel parable about a man who embarked on a journey and entrusted all his possessions to his 3 servants, giving them different amounts of talents. (cfr. Mt 25,14-30) When the man returned from the journey, he asked for an accounting of what he gave them. And we know how that parable ended.

In our life, we should try to develop a keen sense of management and accountability over all the things God has entrusted us with. Obviously, this will require first of all that we are clear and strong about our Christian faith so we would know what our life here on earth is all about.

We cannot deny that even among Christians, many do not exactly know what the ultimate purpose of our life here on earth is. They take things for granted, or they just allow themselves to drift to wherever life’s many currents and forces would bring them.

We should realize very deeply that God’s first mandate to men, through our first parents, was: “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living things that moves upon the earth.” (Gen 1,28)

In other words, everything that we do here on earth should be in obedience to this original mandate from God in whose image and likeness we have been created. There should be nothing that we do in this life that is not in keeping with obeying this original commandment from our Creator.

We cannot say that what we are doing is purely a personal project of ours, or that it is just matter between our family and us, between our bosses and us, etc. Everything that we do should first of all be a matter between God and us.

And so, we need to manage well what God has given us, such that we follow as best that we could what he has commanded us. Thus, we need to expand and deepen our sense of management and accountability to cover not only our businesses and other earthly concerns, but also and first of all our spiritual life.

We should be accountable not only to ourselves, to our family and to some other earthly superiors, bosses and authorities, but also and most especially to God. After all, he is the original and ultimate boss, our common father and creator of all.

And, of course, the parameters and standards to be used should not just be the temporal and worldly, but rather the spiritual, moral and supernatural. We need to educate ourselves in this sense of management and accountability proper to us.

We even have to account for the words we speak, as attested in this passage of St. Matthew’s gospel: “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (12,36-37)

St. Paul in his Letter to the Romans also said that “each of us will give an account of himself to God.” (14,12) And in his second letter to the Corinthians, he said: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” (5,10)