Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection for - Sunday, September 21, 2025

In this week’s Gospel, Jesus is quite clear that we “cannot serve both God and mammon (wealth).” He does NOT say that we cannot love God and have wealth. They can certainly co-exist, but we will fail if we not try to serve them equally.

To illustrate His point, Jesus tells the story of the dishonest (or perhaps simply incompetent) steward who has been “mismanaging” the owner’s affairs and is losing his job as a result. Initially, the steward is accused of “squandering” the master’s property, not stealing it. When his incompetence leads to losing his job, the steward decides to lie to and steal from his master. The lying occurs when he signs fraudulent promissory notes supporting reduced amounts payable to the master. The stealing occurs when the debtors follow the advice of the steward and cheat the master out of what they properly owe to him. Interestingly, when the master discovers the scheme, the master commends him! What point could Jesus possibly be making?

The master recognizes that the while the steward is certainly dishonest, he is also clever. The master appreciates his cleverness. The parable illustrates that this world is a free-for-all when it comes to business ethics. Both the master and the steward are “children of this world” who are experts at double-dealing each other. Because there is “honor among thieves,” the master had to recognize a clever strategy when he saw one. If the dishonest “children of this world” can work together for earthly goals, it is vital that “children of light” be “trustworthy” in their pursuit of the heavenly kingdom.

Both the steward and the master are completely absorbed in having or losing temporal wealth. However, as we heard several weeks ago, all things of this world are “vanity” that will go to others when we die. Therefore, they are ultimately unimportant. Jesus is trying to teach His disciples (and all of us) to be as focused on preserving eternal wealth as the steward and master are with regard to earthly wealth. It’s time to set our sights and hearts on the higher gifts.

Are we trustworthy in our desire to serve God and to push aside earthly “masters” or distractions? Are we trustworthy in our desire and our efforts to achieve the “true wealth” of the Kingdom of God?

Fr. Mike