Twenty-Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time

September 21, 2025

Luke 16: 1-13

Both the first reading from Amos and the gospel from Luke talk about dishonest business practices. But in Amos it is so clear that dishonest business practices are wrong. In this gospel passage which is unique to Luke, we are not sure. It seems like a contradiction.

In today’s gospel Jesus tells us: “No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon.” This Aramaic word 'mammon' can be wealth, but also can refer to anything we rely on, such as position, honor, privilege.

Jesus uses an interesting image to explain this. We have a manager who is no doubt used to a good life and is getting fairly wealthy. There is no doubt about it. The man in the gospel, the shrewd manager, was a manipulator. He knew the best way to get around a problem. And despite his shrewdness, he has gotten himself in trouble with his master over misuse of his master's capital.

Now, let’s be clear: he was probably not an outright thief. The discounts he was offering to his customers were being made at his own expense, coming from his commission on the goods he was supplying. But he was a thief in that he had misused his master’s resources. But what a smart thing to do to assure that he would not be without work, and that his family would be provided for. He is really shameless in how far he will go to maintain his position or at least be able to live well if he loses it. The steward's daring in meeting his goals is what catches Jesus' attention. 

As much as he is praised by his master for his worldly wisdom, he is challenged to consider his long-term future. He had arranged things nicely for his immediate needs, but how was he preparing for eternal life? What was he trusting in, the material or the spiritual world? This is the warning in using the term “dishonest wealth.” Jesus is reminding us that there is a danger in worldly goods in that it is easy to place all our trust in them. If we deal unethically with others, we should not expect them to trust us. “Mammon” can cloud both our ultimate goal and our thinking.

This reminds me of another thief who had no possessions as he was lead to the cross with Jesus, the Good Thief. He was not arrogant, but realized his need to be reconciled with God through Jesus. This thief came to a salvation that would bring eternal life, not like steward in the gospel today who was only looking for a comfortable life in this world. Notice that that the Good Thief did not pick up the chant to save himself if he was God. He came to faith in Jesus and believed that Jesus would give him eternal life even as he was about to give up life in this world. And Jesus recognized in him, not shrewd planning.

The gospel message allows for us to use our intelligence and the goods of this world but always for God’s purposes. God and his kingdom need to be our ultimate focus and the goal of all our efforts – something not easy to do in a world that seems to entice us away from such hopes. We need to think beyond the immediate.

How daring are our goals? Are they the goals of the cunning steward, or those of an outright thief who realizes true salvation when he sees it. Now we must ask ourselves today, where do I put my trust? Whom do I serve? Our answer is crucial for our future life.

Fr. John Tran