Wednesday, September 24, 2025

 

Wednesday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time

(Ezra 9:5-9; Luke 9:1-6)

In today’s first reading the scribe Ezra mentions how Persian kings honored Judaism.  Some of the greatest presidents of the United States expressed favor toward the Catholic Church in a similar way. 

George Washington in response to a letter by Bishop John Carroll wrote to Catholics in America: “And may the members of your Society in America, animated alone by the pure spirit of Christianity … enjoy every temporal and spiritual felicity.”  After attending a Mass surreptitiously John Adams wrote of how he was very impressed.  He also contributed to the building of a Catholic church in Boston.  Abraham Lincoln permitted a fundraiser on the White House lawn to build a Catholic Church for African Americans in Washington.  He also wrote a letter to Pope Pius IX calling the pontiff his “Great and Good Friend” and ending, “I pray God to have Your Holiness always in his safe keeping.”

Religion serves government in many, especially by promoting morality.  From the beginning Christians have been told to pray for their governors.  As we do so, we look for governors to look out for the welfare -- spiritual as well as temporal -- of all its citizens.

 

Tuesday, September 23, 2025

 

Memorial of Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, priest

(Ezra 6:7-8.12b.14-20; Luke 8:19-21)

In today’s gospel Jesus reshapes his family.  He considers as “brothers and sisters” all who hear the word of God and act on it.  He does not exclude anyone -- much less his mother and his brothers -- who listen to God’s word and live it.  His mother will prove to be his faithful disciple to the end.  His “brothers” – whatever this term means – men like James and Jude will also teach Jesus Christ as Lord for the rest of their lives.

Today’s patron saint, Pius of Petrelcina, certainly lived as Jesus’ brother.  This twentieth century Capuchin priest was gifted not only with the stigmata, the wounds of Christ crucified, but also a remarkable insight into souls.  Residing most of his life in a southern Italian friary, “Padre Pio,” listened to the confessions of scores of people every day.  His spiritual guidance brought many to a closer relationship with the Lord.

We too are brothers and sisters of the Lord.  Moved serve others by the word of God and especially the definitive word, who is Jesus Christ, we become like him in spirit and truth.

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.

Sunday, September 21, 2025

 

TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME 
(Amos 8:4-7; 1 Timothy 2:1-8; Luke 16:1-13)

No Gospel shows Jesus as concerned about money as the Gospel of Luke. A few weeks ago, we heard the parable of the rich fool, in which Jesus warned against greed. Today, the Lord teaches his disciples about the proper use of money. And in just a week, the same gospel will show Jesus rebuking the Pharisees for their disregard of the poor. We should pay close attention to these lessons. For if, as the First Letter to Timothy says, “the love of money is the root of all evils,” its corrupting influence has only grown stronger today.

People stumble over money when they see it as the highest good. It is not hard to understand why: money can buy the unrepentant heart’s great desires—power, pleasure, and prestige. Today’s first reading shows this clearly. The prophet Amos denounces the wealthy of his time who bragged, “We will buy the lowly for silver, and the poor for a pair of sandals.”

These idolatrous values of power, pleasure, and prestige easily distract us from the gratitude, praise, and love that belong to God alone. In our day, the accumulation of money has also become one of these false idols. Consider a recent headline: billionaire Elon Musk was offered salary and stock options that could raise his fortune to a trillion (that is, a million million) dollars. It is unimaginable what anyone could do with so much wealth. And yet, such stories not only catch people’s attention, but also capture their hearts.

God alone is the supreme good. He created us and saved us from the pride that deceived us into thinking of ourselves as his rivals. He sent Christ, his Son, who humbled himself to become human and die on the cross. By this, he freed us from the power of the evil one, so that we may live, as the Second Reading from Timothy says, “a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity.”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the dishonest steward to teach us what to do with money. It is a curious parable, because it almost sounds as if the master praises dishonesty. But this is not the case. The master only acknowledges the steward’s cleverness, without approving his behavior. It is like when we say, “give the devil his due.” We are not holding up the devil as a model; we are simply recognizing his craftiness. In the same way, the steward is shrewd in preparing for his future, even if he acts unjustly.

Jesus is urging his disciples to prepare for the future by using money in ways that secure eternal life. We do this when we share our resources for the good of the poor. St. Vincent de Paul, whose feast we will celebrate this Saturday, taught that generosity toward the poor shapes our eternal destiny. In a conference to the Daughters of Charity, he said: “Because God loves the poor, he also loves those who love the poor; for when someone has a special affection for a person, that affection extends also to those who show friendship or service to that person.”

The poor are truly God’s friends because they depend on his goodness. But in many cases, money prevents us from living with the same trust. We tell ourselves that we pay doctors to cure our illnesses, or that we buy insurance to protect us from risks. If that is our mindset, we are only deceiving ourselves. In the end, it is God who delivers us from our troubles and who saves us from perdition.

 

Friday, September 19, 2025

 Friday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

 (I Timothy 6:2c-12; Luke 8:1-3)

A cartoon shows a fat corporate executive describing a recent business decision.  “It was a matter,” he says, “of either losing a friend or losing money.”  No doubt is left as to which of the two the tycoon values more. 

However, the New Testament repeatedly indicates that money makes a poor friend.  In Luke’s gospel Jesus often warns against the accumulation of wealth although, as today’s passage indicates, he and his disciples had needs which the women’s money met.  Perhaps Scripture is nowhere more wary of money than in the first reading.  We should note, however, that First Timothy does not condemn money itself as the root of evil but “the love of money.”  

Should charities accept money from patently sinful sources?  Much good can be done with so-called “tainted money,” but then virtue’s kissing vice leaves many people morally bewildered.  Scandal must be avoided, but at times thieves may make reparation for their crimes by privately reciprocating institutions that care for the needy.