25^th Sunday in Ordinary Time-C

I Reading Amos 8:4-7: The prophet of God challenges the people over their corrupt dealings and oppression of those who are poor.

II Reading: 1 Timothy 2:1-8: Paul urges us to a love of unity, teaching us to pray for all God’s people.

Gospel: Luke 16:1-13: You cannot be the slave both of God and of money.

The Parable of the Unjust Manager: Man and Money, Lk 16:1-13

This passage is one of the most difficult passages in all of Scripture to understand. Verse eight is the primary reason. There is one particular danger against which the church repeatedly warns us in our Sunday readings: the danger of riches because of wealth wrongly acquired or badly used. No other Gospels stress the danger of riches so much as that of Luke. The Christians were tempted to make acquiring money the main purpose of their lives. So Luke dedicates the whole chapter of 16, from which today’s Gospel has been taken, to guide the use of money. For that purpose Luke brings in two parables of Jesus:

·     The parable of the unfaithful manager narrated in today’s Gospel (Lk 16:1-8).

·     The parable of the rich man and Lazarus about which we shall hear next Sunday (Lk 16:19-31).

Money and possessions are particularly bad when obtained through oppression, corruption, exploitation, and cheating of the poor and downtrodden ones. The prophet Amos saw the country’s wealth was built on social injustice and that the people had no real regard for their religion. The prophet Amos speaks of “the poor being sold for a pair of sandals” (Amos 8:6). The poor had to take loans; the Law forbad taking interest from the needy, (Ex 22:24-25; Lev 25:35-37; Deut 23:20-21) but exorbitant interests were charged, and when a person was unable to repay the loan, his fields and house were confiscated. When nothing was left, the wife and children of the debtor would be taken as slaves.

Today our concern for social justice and for the poor around us will tell us whether our attitude towards money and possessions accords or not with the Gospel. We must always be alert and see that whatever wealth comes to us is legitimately acquired and that God approves of the use we make of it. The Gospel makes it clear that attachment to money and possessions cannot be combined with genuine Christian life.

The advice of St Paul to Timothy in today’s second reading is to pray for people in authority to discharge their duties in all honesty, for the poor and oppressed who today are victims of injustice, for the rich to change their hearts, refrain from exploiting the poor.

Jesus also teaches about the rich young man- looking for the eternal life- but he goes back sadly when Jesus said, go and sell all your wealth and give to the poor; camel can enter into the eye of a needle but very hard for a rich man to enter into heaven etc.

The manager was a trusted slave who was put in charge of the landowner’s estate. He was highly regarded and esteemed, considered to be completely trustworthy. The term “manager” is applied to ministers (1Cor 4:1) and to believers in general (1Pt 4:10; Lk 16:1).

1. The Unjust manager (v.1-7)

a. He was charged with embezzlement, with wasting the Lord’s possessions

b. He was required to prepare

e a final accounting

c. He knew he was guilty and was unwilling to change and cry for mercy

d. He decided what to do: He would forget the Lord and court the favor and rewards of people

2. The worldly are wiser in their material pursuits than God’s people are in their spiritual pursuits (v.8)

3. The Christian is to use material wealth for good (v.9)

a. Wealth will fail-at death

b. Giving will be reciprocated

4. The Christian is to be faithful in handling possessions: how he handles his possessions will determine what he will be trusted with eternally (v.10-12)

a. Money is the least trust

b. Unfaithfulness disqualifies one from true, heavenly riches

c. Unfaithfulness disqualifies one from all he would receive

5. The Christian cannot serve two masters: Must choose God or riches (v.13)

Thought: How many religionists mislead others through false teaching, cheating and exploiting the poor, doing injustice and being involved in corruption, causing so many not to use their lives and gifts for God.

Let us be faithful towards the “little things” God has entrusted us with, so that we may one day possess the "great things” on the earth and in heaven, eternal life.

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