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Message from the desk of the Pastor:

THE TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Sunday, September 21, 2025

Gospel Reading 

Luke 16:1-13

Jesus tells a parable about a dishonest steward who is commended for his prudence; one cannot serve both God and money.

Background on the Gospel Reading

Today's Gospel sounds puzzling to contemporary readers, but it can be made less    so by considering the economic system which stands behind the parable. A steward is dismissed because he is squandering his master's property. He is called dishonest because he is not serving the interests of the rich man, his employer. In response the steward, in an attempt to ensure favor for himself among the rich man's debtors, brokers repayment of the rich man's loans by foregoing the interest and fees that    had been levied to line the steward's pockets. It is this action, in which the steward puts aside his greed and takes the longer perspective in order to enhance his  security, which is commended by the rich man.

The passage concludes with three morals for the listeners. The first exhorts the listener to be prudent about the use of wealth. Like the steward in the parable,     those who would follow Jesus must put transitory affairs in proper perspective. Christians should handle the affairs of temporal life with an eye toward eternal life.

The second concerns trustworthiness. Those who can be trusted in small things    can also be trusted in great things. If Christians handle money and other passing things responsibly, then they can also be trusted with the affairs of the Kingdom        of God.



Finally, Jesus tells his listeners that no one can serve two masters simultaneously. God must be put ahead of money.

Family Connection

Talk with your children about some things that they have done to show that they    can be trusted. Talk a bit about what it means to be responsible. Responsibility    often means that we put aside something of passing value for something of greater value.

Read together the short form of today's Gospel, Luke 16:10-13. Talk about the importance of responsible use of money and our material possessions. As a      family, commit to one action that you will take this week to show that your family serves God and not money.