Twenty Fifth Sunday Of Ordinary Time, Year C

Collect

O God, who founded all the commands of your sacred Law upon love of you and of our neighbour, grant that, by keeping your precepts, we may merit to attain eternal life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Reflection

Jesus’ speech that we read this Sunday, taken from the opening verses of chapter sixteen of the Gospel according to St Luke, must be read in connection with what Jesus says in the two preceding chapters. This is not only because the context in which this discourse takes place is the same—namely, Jesus on the road to Jerusalem, where he is going to lay down his life for us—but also because there are several shared themes and expressions. These common threads help us to better understand the deeper message conveyed in the seemingly puzzling words of today’s Gospel.

First, we encounter the recurring theme of wealth. Two Sundays ago, Jesus said that no one can be his disciple unless they renounce all their possessions. Today, Jesus speaks of a steward who was squandering his master’s wealth—much like the younger son in the parable of the Prodigal Son, who wastes his share of his father’s inheritance. Thus, we are immediately reminded that all wealth, which we as human beings inevitably handle—whether for our families, our workplaces, or in public or ecclesial roles—is never truly our own. It is entrusted to us. Even our personal belongings are given to us on loan, entrusted to us to be managed wisely. This brings us to another comparison, this time with chapter twelve of the same Gospel, where Jesus speaks of the faithful and wise servant whom the master entrusts with the management of his household. On that occasion, Jesus also warns that if the servant loses his sense of responsibility and begins to mistreat the other servants and indulge in drunkenness (we can assume he is drinking from the resources of his master’s house, thus wasting his wealth), there will come an unexpected hour when the master returns and exacts judgment (see Luke 12:41–46)—just as today’s steward is dismissed from his position of trust. What, then, is Jesus’ ultimate response? “You cannot serve both God and money.”

Wealth is important and has its rightful place, and we must be wise in how we manage it—without being naïve or allowing ourselves to be exploited—but at the same time without allowing it to become our god. Just as no one can be Jesus’ disciple “unless they hate their father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life” (Luke 14:26), so too, “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other.” Once again, we encounter that strong word: “hate.” Because at the point where money becomes our god, God himself is pushed aside—and we find ourselves outside the Kingdom of God, far from the Father’s house, yearning even to eat the food given to pigs, so deep have we fallen.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, grant that we may be faithful in fulfilling our duties within society and in managing the goods entrusted to us, so that we may be found worthy of true riches—the Kingdom of God, which you promised in your discourse on the Beatitudes: “Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God” (Lk 6:20).