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SOCL, 25C

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Sunday September 21, 2025


See


The banking crisis is only one example of a wider “honesty deficit” in public life. Even people working for charities are sometimes found, unfortunately, to be lacking in integrity. As a result, the story of dishonest management will not lack contemporary echoes. It also means that the shock of story—the manager continues to fix the books for his own benefit—is just as much a shock today as it would have been in first-century Palestine. If that were not enough, the ironic teaching drawn in v. 9 borders on the sarcastic, not to say caustic. No missing the meaning, in any case! But what is the meaning? It can’t be simply copy that distressing example of the manager. To act, not to delay, seems to be at the centre.


Listen



Reflect


(Luke 16:1-13)


As often with the parables of Jesus, this one is intended to shock in order to make us think. Jesus is not praising the injustice of the servant, but his purposefulness in preparing for the future. In your experience what difference does it make when you are purposeful and energetic instead of lethargic?


It was his master’s call to account that galvanized the servant into action. What have been the experiences, or people, that have galvanized you into action when you had been somewhat halfhearted in your efforts?


Who have been the people whose energy, drive and astuteness have been an inspiration to you in how to handle difficult situations?


“No servant can be the slave of two masters”. When have you experienced the truth of this statement?


Pray


God our saviour, you call us into your service. Make us wise and resourceful: children of the light who continue your work in this world with untiring concern for integrity and justice. We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen.

 
 
 

The Word today, 25C

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September 22 - September 27, 2025



Ezra 1:1-6 Ezra (and Nehemiah) worked at the time of the return from the Exile in Babylon. The book opens with the permission to return, granted by the Persian king, Cyrus the Great.


Luke 8:16-18 The first part of this reading is plain, especially if you consider that a lamp, in those days, meant a naked flame! The second part of more difficult, but certainly a warning again any hint of complacency or sitting on our “laurels”!


St Padre Pio, priest and religious


Ezra 6:7-8, 12, 14-20 The rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem was a huge event for the Israelites. Chiefly, it allowed worship to take place again. The prophet Haggai was involved and from Thursday onwards we read from his book.


Luke 8:19-21 It is remarkable that this passage was remembered because it shows Jesus in an apparently unfavourable light. It is likely, on that account, to be historical. The central teaching is super clear: My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and put it into practice.



Ezra 9:5-9 The context for the prayer in this reading helps. After the return from Exile, there was a risk of intermarriage and Ezra was very much against that, thinking it would bring another national disaster. Hence, penance and prayer.


Luke 9:1-6 The Twelve are empowered to do exactly what Jesus did. Just like him, they are to depend on the providence of God and the kindness of strangers. Shaking off the dust is a prophetic gesture of judgement and rejection (cf. Luke 10:11; Acts 13:51; 18:6).


St Finbarr, bishop


Haggai 1:1-8 The prophet Haggai was active just after the return from the great Exile. The reading gives a very exact date, the year 520. Haggai preaches the rebuilding of the Temple, because the prosperity of the nation depends on it.


Luke 9:7-9 The Herod here is not Herod the Great, as he was long since dead. Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great, ruled from 4 BC to AD 39, sharing the rule of his father’s realm with his two brothers. He makes a unique appearance in Luke’s Gospel (only) at the trial of Jesus. Today’s story catches nicely the callousness of the powerful, combined with the inevitable effect of Jesus, even on such unlikely people.


Sts Cosmas and Damian, martrys


Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 Daniel has a vision of the heavenly throne, including angels. The passage is very important for understanding Jesus’ use of the expression “Son of Man.”


John 1:47-51 Two important hints are buried in this reading. Firstly, in rabbinic tradition, the tree of knowledge was understood to be have been a fig tree (being the first species mentioned). In a transferred sense, sitting “under a fig tree” meant reading the Torah, that is, already on the spiritual quest. The heavens opened with the angels ascending and descending evokes Jacob’s ladder in Genesis 28:10-19. Jacob recurs in John 2-4, perhaps a later echo of restoration of Israel (= Jacob) going back to Jesus.


St Vincent de Paul, priest and religious


Zechariah 2:5-9, 14-15 Zechariah wrote at roughly the same time as Haggai and faced the same problem of reconstruction. Using engineering language, the prophet assures the inhabitants that God will be the “measure” of the city.


Luke 9:43-45 The vain temptation to complacent admiration never really goes away. It like likely that whenever the church enjoys uncritical admiration that it is not at its most gospel.


References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2025cd, September 21). Twenty-fifth Sunday in ordinary time. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/092125.cfm

-Sunday readings. (n.d.-s). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings


 
 
 

One another, 25C

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September 21, 2025



Friends in Christ, God invites us to hold the needs of our sisters and brothers as dear to us as our own needs. Loving our neighbors as ourselves, we offer our thanksgivings and our petitions on behalf of the church and the world:


For the Church: that we may be good stewards of the gifts that God has given us, use them for God's glory, and never be possessed by our possessions: let us pray to the Lord.


For the grace of diligence: that we may follow the command of Christ and use our gifts to bring forth God's reign by feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and caring for the sick: let us pray to the Lord.


For wisdom: that the Spirit will inspire us with a broader vision of our life goals so that our endeavors may lead us into a deeper relationship with God and into eternal life: let us pray to the Lord.


For deeper gratitude: that we may appreciate all the gifts, opportunities, and benefits that we have been given and recognize them as signs of God's love for us: let us pray to the Lord.


For greater attention to the small things in life: that God will find us diligent and faithful with all our ordinary responsibilities so that we may share in God's greater gifts: let us pray to the Lord.


For the development of ethics and honesty in business: that the Spirit will guide all business leaders in implementing just practices and products that are beneficial to the common good: let us pray to the Lord.


For employers and employees: that each may fulfill their responsibilities and treat one another with dignity and respect: let us pray to the Lord.


For the poor: that God will lift their burden and help them to find ways to meet their needs and prosper: let us pray to the Lord.


For all who lack healthcare: that God will open new opportunities for healthcare workers to provide needed assistance to protect and sustain those who lack finances or insurance: let us pray to the Lord.


For an end to violence: that God will inspire each heart with stronger respect for human life and help them pursue new ways of resolving conflicts in families, communities, and between nations: let us pray to the Lord.


For the President, all leaders of nations, governors, and mayors: that they may faithfully fulfill their obligations, establish peace and good order, and promote life and justice for all: let us pray to the Lord.


For all who are suffering: that God will strengthen all recovering from disasters, bring healing to the sick, freedom to captives, and comfort to the grieving: let us pray to the Lord.


For all who are grieving: that God will comfort them, deepen their relationships with loved ones, and guide them to understanding and supportive communities: let us pray to the Lord.


Hear our prayers, God of power, and through the ministry of your Son free us from the grip of the tomb, that we may desire you as the fullness of life and proclaim your saving deeds to all the world. Amen.


References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2025cd, September 21). Twenty-fifth Sunday in ordinary time. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/092125.cfm

-Cormier, J. (1995). Lord, Hear Our Prayer: Prayer of the Faithful for Sundays, Holy Days, and Ritual Masses.


 
 
 
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