September 21, 2025: Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gospel: Luke 16:10-13

Jesus said to hi disciples: “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. If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth — mammon, temporal goods — who will trust you with true wealth? (spiritual goods) If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, (all riches are from God) who will give you what is yours? No servant can serve two masters. (attachment to material wealth and spiritual goods) 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.”

Reflection

Jesus tells us that how we handle mammon — material wealth, temporal goods, or the gifts of the Earth — shows others and God how we might handle true wealth or spiritual goods.

If we waste, pollute, hoard, or destroy the riches of the Earth for personal gain, who will trust us with greater matters of spirit and community?

Reminding us that all materials goods are a gift from God and do not belong to us, Jesus encourages us to be just and engage consciously with the physical realm. We are stewards of the blessings of life and must act honorable and responsibly.

This is a very different message from the “American Dream,” which relies on materialism, consumerism, and seeking security and comfort through the accumulation of individual wealth and power. Earth and all her inhabitants cannot sustain the extraction and pollution caused by such lifestyles.

In contrast, the Community (Kingdom) of God on Earth is about just, sustainable and generative relationships with God, each other, and the materials world. Imagine the true wealth we will receive when we show that we are trustworthy with God’s gifts.

Ultimately, it is about matters of the heart. Where our treasure is, there too is our heart. Our actions speak loudly about who/what we serve.

Action

Spend some time today, this week, with these questions. How can I engage with this world from a place of love and abundance instead of fear and scarcity? What if we use the same amount of prudence or shrewdness toward building the Kingdom of God on Earth as those who exploit, accumulate and hold onto material wealth at the expense of Earth and all species?