Gospel reflection: Sept. 23, 2007

Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C
September 23, 2007

Read Sunday's Gospel, Luke 16:1-13.

Gospel Summary:

At first it would seem that this Gospel passage praises dishonesty, but in fact, it gives credit for a clever and quick response. There was a man who managed the land for his master. What his misdeeds were is not quite clear, but something had gone wrong in their relationship and the manager was about to be fired. Not physically able to dig ditches and too proud to beg, the manager worried about how he would live. In a quick response, he went to all the people who owed his master produce and had them change their bills to reflect a lesser amount. In this way the people who saved money would welcome the manger into their homes once he had been fired. The master wasn't rewarding the manager for his dishonesty, but for his cleverness and quick thinking. The point Jesus wanted to make with this parable was to let the crowd know that they should be wise in their use of the world's goods, because if they are used selfishly, they will fail us. However, if we share our resources with others, true wealth will await us in the Kingdom. The final point of Jesus' words was that we cannot serve two masters, God and money.

Reflection for Families:

Children learn at a young age that "buying friends" is a possibility. Even we adults use our resources to entertain friends. How often do we do things with our friends that we think will build our relationships by spending money either on food, entertainment, or gifts? The point of this Gospel is to help us remember that the most important way we can use our resources is in the service of others. From time to time, as we see our children selecting elaborate birthday gifts for a friend, or wanting to include friends in an expensive form of entertainment, we may need to remind them and ourselves of the message in today's Gospel.

Bringing the Gospel Into Your Family:

Think about the next opportunity each member will have for selecting a gift. It might be for a relative or friend's birthday or Christmas in a few months. Spend some time and energy thinking about a gift that would have special meaning for that friend and begin now to prepare it. Perhaps you could make a collage or scrapbook of your friendship, write a poem, or reflection that speaks from your heart about how much the person means to you. Take the money you would normally have spent on the gift and apply it toward helping someone who is in need.

Discussion Starters:

1. The greatest trust someone has shown in me is . . .
2. I tend to serve two masters when I . . .
3. One of the ways I use my resources to serve God is by . . .