25th Sunday in Ordinary Time--Liturgical Cycle C

Lectionary Readings
Reading I: Amos 8:4-7
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 113:1-2, 4-6,7-8
Reading II: 1 Timothy 2:1-8
Gospel: Luke 16:1-13

Homily

Luke continues to take us, from Chapter 9 in his gospel, on the road with Jesus as he proceeds “resolutely” on his way to Jerusalem. As such, the image mirrors our own journey to the Kingdom of God.

What is the cost of being a follower of Jesus, a disciple of the Christian Way?

And more importantly, how can I be numbered among those who are of the Kingdom?

How can I assure that I will be invited to dine at the grand feast in the Kingdom of God?

These are the questions which have haunted us Sunday after Sunday for the past several months.

The values and lifestyles which we must aspire to and try to live by are being laid out for us little by little these past Sundays. They are markedly different from the values which pure secular men and women embrace. Our news media of late has shown the utter bankruptcy of such lack of values and we abhor the hypocrisy of both the accusers and the accused. Many Christians, those raised in the Way of Jesus, are almost in the state of shock at the total lack of any standards at all other than what is useful and expedient for each one’s own advantage. In comparison, we, as disciples of Jesus, are called to a Way of Life that is wonderfully refreshing, to the values of the Kingdom of God.

What values must I strive for to be invited to dine with the Christ of God?

Luke has presented the teachings of Jesus (on the road) in answer to this question. This is one of the relationships—how the Christian must relate to others (recall the discourse on humility or the parable of the Prodigal Son, or the story of the Good Samaritan neighbor). And Jesus’ values on how the Christian must relate to the things of this world, to our possessions…(remember the discourse on the Narrow Door, or the parable of the farmer who stored his abundant crop, setting himself to relax for years, to come only to be called to eternity that very night).

Today’s Lukan gospel continues this “relationship” teaching with regard to things—money and possessions. How must we relate, how do we use the resources of our world so that we will be numbered among those who are to dine in the heavenly Kingdom? This is the value articulated in our parable today.

You see, “things” in themselves are neither good or bad. It is the “use” of them that makes the difference. The Christian value is to use them in such a way that when they fail us (not “if” they fail us) we will have a lasting place in heaven.

The parable today points out how we tend to be more enterprising in our use of material things to gain a monetary (secular) profit than we are to gain an eternal profit (or advantage).

The story is often misunderstood. The deviousness of the steward is not what is lauded by Jesus, but his industry. In the culture of the day, a steward made his living by the mark-up on the goods which he sold—not unlike our modern middle men. So the steward in the parable discounted his own mark-up, taking less of a profit for himself in his design to win new employers.

Jesus is saying, would that his own followers were as enterprising—the willingness to take less now so that we might win the crown of eternal life, to dine at the feast of the Kingdom.

In answer to the question, “How can I be numbered among those who are saved?” we are called in this gospel teaching today to an enterprising relationship with this world’s goods so that when (not “if”) they fail us, we will have made friends for eternal life.


--Fr. Pat

Excerpt from "A Catholic's Companion: Liturgical Cycle C" (c)2000 C. Patrick Creed
Published by Watchmaker Press. Maggie Hettinger, editor