Monday, September 22, 2025

 

Monday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time

(Ezra 1:1-6; Luke 8:16-18)

Today’s gospel might be dismissed quickly as a series of proverbs, i.e., sayings of practical wisdom.  They might only say that you light a lamp in order to see; that you can’t hide anything so well that it will never be found; and that “the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer.”

But this was not Luke’s intention in assigning these sayings after Jesus’ long parable about the sower and the seed.  In it Jesus indicated the potential of the word of God.  He said that it might go unheard or ignored, but taken to heart, it has wondrous effects. 

Jesus’ comments today stress the importance of heeding the word of God.  They tell us that as a kind of light, it enables us to navigate through the evils of life to true happiness.  Furthermore, they say that even if we try to hide or deny the truth of the word of God, it will eventually become evident.  Finally, Jesus wants us to realize that heeding the word of God will bring reward upon reward while ignoring it will end in ever greater loss.

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