The Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time – September 21, 2025
In parables, there’s always something unexpected. Today, Jesus gives a surprising compliment to the dishonest steward who used his knowledge and network to “work the system” toward his goal of self-preservation.
When I began working as a diocesan liturgy director, some of my friends questioned my choice, wondering if I had “sold out” to what they perceived as a corrupt clerical chancery system. A similar question is often posed to Catholics who are asked why they remain in a church that doesn’t always operate justly. When I doubted myself and my choice to be part of “the system,” a mentor reassured me, saying that if I left it, there would be one fewer person there to help change it through their actions and influence.
If we disconnect our faith from the systems we find ourselves in, doing nothing to use our faith to make it more just according to the Gospel, then we have made the system our master.
As people of faith, we are often encouraged to separate ourselves from earthly matters. Yet if we disconnected our faith from the systems we find ourselves in, doing nothing to use our faith to make it more just according to the Gospel, then we have made the system our master.
Jesus warns that no servant can serve two masters. The mission of Christ must be our goal in whatever place we have the opportunity to serve. Whether in church ministry, secular employment, civic leadership, or family life, let us work the system toward the goal of the Gospel.
Leave a Reply