Sunday Liturgy, September 21, 2025

Texts taken from the “On Your Word” Missalette, September-October 2025

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)  – 1st week, proper

First Reading

From the book of the prophet Amos (Am 8:4-7)

The Lord said to me: “Hear this, you who trample upon the needy and bring the poor of the land to an end, you who say, ‘When will the new moon be over, that we may sell grain? And the sabbath, that we may offer wheat for sale, that we may make the ephah small and the shekel great and deal deceitfully with false balances, that we may buy the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, and sell the refuse of the wheat?’” The Lord swears by the pride of Jacob: “Surely I will never forget any of their deeds.”

The word of God.

Commentary on the First Reading

The text of the first reading is taken from the prophet Amos and is a strong condemnation of treating people as commodities: “You who trample upon the needy and bring the poor to an end”; you deceive people on the Sabbath by offering “wheat for sale, making the ephah small and the shekel great, using false balances…”. Amos shakes the conscience of the wealthy of his time, but that cry of denunciation reaches the ear of our hearts today and compels us to ask how honest we are in our relationships with others, aware that the Lord God “will never forget any of their deeds.” It is therefore a voice that brings to light the feelings of the people of that time, as well as our own feelings; it challenges their intelligence and conscience, and ours, because the Lord God defends orphans and widows, those who are humiliated and abandoned, as testified by the psalm’s prayer: “The Lord God is enthroned on high, he bends down to look… he raises the weak from the dust…”.

Second Reading

From the first letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to Timothy (1 Tim 2:1-8)

My son, first of all, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and humanity, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself as a ransom for all. This was the testimony given at the proper time. For this I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument.

The word of God.

Commentary on the Second Reading

In the letter, Paul encourages the community led by Timothy to focus on prayer, embracing all people and every situation without distinction, beginning with those in authority: “Prayers… for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions.” If we focus on this part of the verse, it may seem that Paul is urging us to yield before human power, but the second part helps us understand the reason for this request: “That we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” Prayer is therefore intended to ensure that those who govern us produce good fruits. This commitment has as its ultimate goal “that all people may be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.” It is an appeal addressed to us today, so that we may pray for our leaders and for all who, in various ways, bear responsibility, learning to pray “in every place… lifting up holy hands without anger or argument.”

Gospel

From the Gospel according to Luke (Lk 16:1-13)

At that time, Jesus said to the disciples: “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. So he summoned him and said, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give me an account of your management, because you can no longer be manager.’ The manager said to himself, ‘What will I do, now that my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.’ So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He answered, ‘A hundred jugs of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and write fifty.’ Then he asked another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill and write eighty.’ And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes. Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. If then you have not been faithful with dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for a servant will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” 

The word of the Lord.

Commentary on the Gospel

That Savior of the little ones and the poor announced and awaited by the prophet Amos finds his answer in Jesus, who exposes the wrongdoing of those who exploit others for their own gain, thinking they will remain unpunished: “What is this I hear about you? Give me an account of your management, because you can no longer be manager.” Unable to do any other work, the manager arranged to “discount” what each debtor owed: “‘How much do you owe my master?’… ‘A hundred jugs…’. He said to him: ‘Sit down quickly and write fifty’… The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly.” At first glance, it might seem that the master praises dishonesty, but in reality it is likely that the manager had increased the debt by adding a percentage for himself. In this way, realizing that he had been discovered, he decided to restore the debt to its proper value. This is shrewdness: recognizing the error, changing… converting, because, as the Gospel text concludes, “you cannot serve God and wealth.” Do I have the humility to recognize the error in how I manage God’s gifts and to place the logic of the Gospel at the center of my life?