Homily, 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings: Am 8:4–7 ; 1 Tm 2:1–8 ; Lk 16:1–13   

Many of us know the pain created by competing loyalties or incompatible priorities. We can sometimes juggle them, but one day they will fall on our heads. God’s Word today, is very clear on the necessity of putting Him first in all areas of our lives. 

We see this in the First Reading from Prophet Amos. The Lord has harsh words for those who would take advantage of the poor and whose priorities are not aligned with God’s. And at the conclusion of today’s Gospel passage, Jesus speaks clearly and imperatively: “No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon” (Luke 16:13). So, before each one of us there is a choice to be made. Which master shall we serve, God or mammon? This is a fundamental decision that stands before every Christian disciple. Ultimately, the master whom we decide to serve will determine the way in which we see the world and carry out our actions.

St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits,  offers us a mediation in his Spiritual Exercises that provides a helpful illustration to gauge our stance on the spiritual journey — to gauge which master has a hold of our hearts. Ignatius invites the retreatant to enter into the Meditation of the Two Standards. He notes  that there are two forces—two masters if you like— that are competing for our minds and hearts — Jesus Christ and Satan. Both are vying for our attention and fidelity. While Satan presents to us the attraction of possessions and power as the aim and end of our lives, Jesus Christ presents to us the way of spiritual poverty and humility.

Under the influence  of the first master, who represents the spirit of the world, we are led to believe that earthly possessions are the “be-all and end-all” of life. On the other hand, if we give our hearts to Christ, we are given a different and life-giving perspective. We come to the realization that everything is gift. All the goods that we are given, whether material or spiritual, become reason for gratitude rather than greed. It is then that we become “trustworthy” stewards of everything  that has been given and entrusted to us from above. Fortunately, the one Master Jesus Christ, “gave everything as ransom for all”. With hands lifted up in prayer, we become those trustworthy people to whom God entrusts great things. The true disciple must remain eminently trustworthy always in everything because there is no ‘very small matter” that does not matter. Every moral situation stands as a graced opportunity to demonstrate virtue. Stewardship is what we do after we say, “We Believe”. It is about how we live our lives in total.

We might also think about Christ’s mission statement at the beginning of Luke’s Gospel (Luke 4:18) when he says: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind”. Once we give ourselves over to Jesus as our one master, our vision is opened. The goods of creation lose their domineering force, and we are not possessed by our possessions.

Dear friends, we do not have to be reminded that nothing really lasts. Things eventually wear out and no longer serve their purpose. We cannot even hold on to a joyful moment. It soon passes. Careers come to an end and the company continues without us. The high fashion of one decade is the joke of the next. Neighborhoods change and old landmarks are replaced. Our bodies weaken and appearance changes. But our soul, unlike every other investment we make lasts forever.  The Master invites us to take our stance under His “standard” — to choose the “freedom of the children of God” (Romans 8:21). May we choose Christ as our master and direct our entire lives  not for our own ends, but for His glory.

This weekend  is Catechetical Sunday, specifically  set aside to pray for and  commission catechists. Catechesis is a special ministry in the Church. I thank our 21 catechists and all those who have served in this role in the past for taking up the noble duty  of sharing  our faith with others. We should also remember that parents are the primary catechists of their children. They prepare the soil and plant the first seeds of faith.- home is the domestic Church. On this Catechetical Sunday, may we endeavor to make our  households a place where faith is nourished and passed on to the next generation.