Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Luke 16:1–13 (10-13) Serving God, Not Wealth
Today’s Gospel presents us with one of the most difficult parables of Jesus—the story of the dishonest steward. At first glance, it seems strange: why would the Lord praise a man who cheated his master? But Jesus is not praising dishonesty. He is pointing us to the urgency of choosing wisely, of using the goods of this world to build love and friendship, and of remembering always that we are stewards, not owners.
In the time of Jesus, large estates were often managed by stewards who worked on behalf of wealthy landowners. These men often looked for their own advantage, using the land and the peasants for profit. In the parable, when the steward learns that he is about to lose his position, he acts quickly. He reduces the debts of his master’s tenants, not out of generosity, but to secure a future for himself. The master, surprisingly, praises him—not for his dishonesty, but for his cleverness and foresight.
And here is the point Jesus makes to His disciples: if even a dishonest steward knows how to prepare for the future, how much more should the children of God live with wisdom and foresight! The steward thought about tomorrow. Jesus is asking us: And you, do you think about tomorrow? About eternal life? Or do you live only for today, as if everything depended on what you own?
This is where the Gospel speaks powerfully to us. Everything we have is God’s gift—our talents, our time, our resources. We are stewards, not owners. As the Psalm says: “The earth is the Lord’s and all it holds” (Ps 24:1). When we forget this truth, when we live as if possessions were ours to hoard, we become enslaved by wealth. We begin to serve “mammon”—money, power, possessions—rather than God. And as Jesus says clearly: “You cannot serve both God and mammon.”
The question, then, is not whether wealth is good or bad. Jesus never condemns creation or the goods of this world. What matters is how we use them. If wealth becomes an idol, it destroys us. If it becomes a tool for love—if it feeds the hungry, helps the poor, builds community—then it serves the Kingdom of God.
Here lies the invitation of today’s parable: make friends with the goods of this world. Share what you have. Use it to build bonds of love. What you give away in love is never lost—it becomes “true wealth,” the treasure that lasts into eternal life. As St. Ambrose said: “We must not consider as wealth what we cannot take with us.”
Brothers and sisters, let us ask for the grace to be wise stewards. Let us not be deceived by the false promises of money. It cannot give us joy, it cannot give us peace, it cannot save us. Only God can. May we learn to serve Him alone, and to use all that He entrusts to us in service of love, so that one day we may be welcomed into His eternal home.
Memorial of Saint Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn, Priest, and Paul Chŏng Ha-sang, and Companions, Martyrs LUKE 8: 4-15 The Seed and the Soil of the Heart
Jesus speaks to us today in a parable that everyone in His time could understand. Perhaps He was looking at farmers scattering seed across the fields of Galilee. Some seed falls on the hardened path, some on rocky ground, some among thorns, and some on good soil. The difference is not in the seed, but in the ground. The Word of God is always fruitful, but its harvest depends on the heart that receives it.
The hard path is the closed heart. Prejudice, pride, or indifference can make us incapable of receiving God’s Word. The rocky ground is the shallow heart. It welcomes the Word with joy but lacks roots, collapsing when trials come. The thorny ground is the distracted heart. Even good things—work, success, comfort—can choke the Word, leaving no room for God. Finally, the good soil is the heart that listens, treasures the Word, and lives it in action.
But there is also encouragement here. Jesus himself was rejected in the synagogues, opposed by the scribes and Pharisees. The disciples could easily grow discouraged. So He reminds them: a farmer expects some seed to be lost, yet he keeps sowing, knowing that in time there will be a harvest. In the same way, no setback can defeat God’s plan.
This parable calls us to self-examination. What kind of soil is my heart today? Do I allow the Word to take root, or do I let worries and busyness crowd it out? At the same time, it is a call to hope. Even when we see little fruit, God is at work. The harvest is sure, because the seed is His Word and the soil belongs to His mercy.
Let us not despair. Let us keep sowing, keep listening, and keep trusting that God’s Word will bear fruit in us and in the world.
Friday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time Or Optional Memorial of Saint Januarius, Bishop and Martyr LUKE 8: 1- 3 The Mission Needs Us All
In today’s Gospel (Luke 8:1–3), we see Jesus on the road. The synagogues were closed to Him; the scribes and Pharisees watched not to listen but to accuse. So He took to the open spaces—the road, the hillside, the lakeshore—because the Word of God cannot be confined. When doors close, the Spirit opens new paths.
Here we are told of a small group of women who accompanied Him and supported His mission from their resources. Among them were Mary Magdalene, healed of seven demons, and Joanna, the wife of Herod’s trusted steward. How striking: a woman with a wounded past and a woman from the royal court, walking side by side. This is the miracle of Jesus—He brings together the most diverse people, not erasing their identities, but uniting them in love. The lion and the lamb, as Chesterton said, remain lion and lamb, yet find peace together. This is the Church at her best: a communion of differences, held together by Christ.
We also see that these women served in the way they could. They were not preachers, but they offered their means, their presence, their quiet fidelity. Their support allowed the mission to continue. How many disciples of Christ remain hidden, serving in silence! The parent who sustains a household of faith, the friend who encourages a vocation, the unseen worker whose generosity makes ministry possible—these are the hidden pillars of the Church.
No gift is too small to be offered to Christ. He does not measure by greatness but by love. Today, let us give what we can, in the place we are, with the heart we have. Like those women on the road, we too can walk with Jesus, supporting His mission with our love, our presence, and our generosity.
全属于祢 
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