Texts taken from the “On Your Word” Missal September-October 2022

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)
1st week of the psalter

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 passage from the prophet Amos focuses on the exploitation of the poor. It contains very harsh words against those who rob, exploit, and humiliate the poor and seek to obtain money and wealth at the expense of others, acting against charity, justice, and the law. Is today’s world really so different from the one described by the prophet Amos? One need only open a newspaper or listen to the news to hear about murders, thefts, fraud, scams, and everything that people allow the devil to place in their hearts. The media reports almost exclusively on heinous crimes because they make news; real life, however, is full of events in which love lives and triumphs despite human weakness. Therefore, faced with negative news, we can adopt a wise perspective and give it its proper importance without exaggerating evil. Moreover, we can find ways to learn about the good news that generates positivity, possible solutions, the good being done in society, and the signs of Christ in the world. Finally, we can bring every piece of news into prayer, interceding with the Lord for the people involved.

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 men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all. This was the testimony given at the proper time, for which I was appointed a preacher and 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 holy hands without anger or quarreling. – The word of God.

Commentary on the second reading

Those who govern must create the conditions so that all of us can “lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” In our prayer for those who govern and for politicians, we should ask that they may work to achieve this. Pope Francis also reminds us: “A Christian who does not pray for those who govern is not a good Christian.” Therefore, it is important to ask ourselves: Do we pray for those who govern us? Do we entrust them to God? In our own lives, too, our relationship with God must come first, because it is the Lord who gives meaning to every activity; he pours out his love upon us so that we may live every situation with him and draw from him the strength not to succumb to difficulties. “First of all, prayer”—let us repeat this before beginning the day with our family, going out to work or school, engaging in sports or recreation, sharing moments of joy with friends, in the parish and in groups. In this way, we follow Jesus, who made his life an obedient listening to the Father, placing himself joyfully at the service of his brothers and sisters.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

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. He summoned him and said, ‘What is this I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for 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 said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He answered, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and write fifty.’ Then he said to 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 dwellings. 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 either they will 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 of the day

The Gospel shows us how the children of this world are cunning, shrewd, prudent, quick, self-interested, capable in their material affairs, and perhaps dishonest, while they are slow, apathetic, and inefficient in matters concerning the soul, divine life, and faith! The Lord praises the manager not for his dishonesty, but rather for his courage in making decisions and his readiness to seek a solution so as to turn the difficult situation in which he found himself to his own advantage. Jesus’ teaching is clear: we too are called to do the same. Everything we have is not “ours”; we have received it from God. With this “wealth” that is not “ours,” using readiness, shrewdness, inventiveness, and passion, we can obtain what truly matters: eternal life. Do we put all our professionalism into our work, but show equal seriousness in our mission as witnesses of the Gospel and charity? And also: How many resources are we able to mobilize for trivial things, and how little do we invest in terms of time, energy, and means in the Gospel and in serving our brothers and sisters? Perhaps today we should ask ourselves what courageous decisions we need to make for our eternal salvation.