“Hear this, you who trample upon the needy and destroy the poor of the land! … The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob: Never will I forget a thing that they have done!” (Amos 8:4,7)
Reflections on the readings for the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (September 18, 2022): AM 8:4-7; PS 113:1-2,4-6,7-8; 1 TM 2:1-8; LK 16:1-13
MISSIO offers “Mission In Scripture” to nurture a missionary heart, providing reflections on the missionary themes in the readings of Sundays, Feast Days and Holy Days.
In serving God, we must be prepared to embrace the possibilities He gives us to fulfill His will and to assist our neighbors, especially those in greatest need.
Just last Sunday, we heard three wonderful parables that spoke of the incomparable mercy of God. The last of them, the Prodigal Son, was especially moving. The parable about the Dishonest Steward that we hear Jesus tell today is more difficult. We meet a rich man who has a steward accused of squandering his property. Told to make an accounting, the steward, dreading his future prospects, comes up with a scheme to earn the gratitude of his master’s debtors. He reduces the amount they owed. The stunning moment comes when the rich man actually commends the steward for his prudence. We would have expected him to be reprimanded, at the least, for his actions. It helps to know that his own exorbitant commission would likely have been part of what he was eliminating. However through this story, Christ what really wants His followers to understand is the need to imitate worldly people, not in deceit, but by acting with industry and enterprise. Indeed, our Lord goes on to say that “The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones. … No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and despise the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon” (Luke 16:10,13).
We all have choices to make about how we live our lives. God expects us to be people of integrity and honesty. He also expects us to use all the reason, grace, and wisdom that He gives us to make prudent decisions for our own welfare and that of others. In serving God, we must be prepared to embrace the possibilities He gives us to fulfill His will and to assist our neighbors, especially those in greatest need. We need to use the things of this world not out of greed and personal satisfaction, but to honor God and help His people. If God is truly our Master, then we show our love for Him by loving others and turning away from the self-centeredness that can lead us away from Him and His mercy.
Suggested missionary action: Let us ask our Lord to show us how He wants us to serve Him, help His suffering children, and nourish our own souls. Every day, we can make a clear decision to serve God. Every day, we can say “Yes!” to loving Him, loving others, and loving ourselves only and always in Him.
