Stewards and Owners: Reflections on the Readings for the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

Amos 8:4-7
Psalm 113
1 Timothy 2:1-8
Luke 16:1-13

Contrary to popular opinion, we are not owners of the earth or even of our bodies. Rather, we are stewards. Everything around us belongs to God. We consider ourselves owners of lots of stuff. In truth, the only thing we own is our free will. Everything else is a gift from God and ultimately belongs to Him. In truth, we are just stewards of God’s creation. And while we have rights to things like private property (see Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 2401-2404) “[T]he ownership of any property makes its holder a steward of Providence, with the task of making it fruitful and communicating its benefits to others, first of all his family.” (CCC 2404) C.S Lewis’s famous demon, Screwtape, explains it this way: “And all the time the joke is that the word ‘mine’ in its fully possessive sense cannot be uttered by a human being about anything.” God claims ownership due to creation while the devil’s goal is conquest. (The Screwtape Letters)

The first reading from the prophet Amos tells how merchants of the time defied God’s concern for the needy in violation of the decalogue. “The tenth commandment forbids greed and the desire to amass earthly goods without limit. It forbids avarice arising from a passion for riches and their attendant power.” (CCC 2536)

Amos is a prophet from around 750 B.C. who emphasizes social justice, around the same time as Hosea. (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible) In this passage we see his concern for the poor and that the LORD will not forget the injustices imposed upon them. These injustices include cheating, extortion, putting money ahead of God (as in when will the Sabbath be over), and disregard for the needy. Jesus’ final words in today’s gospel also reflect this concern.

In contrast to the greed described in the first reading, the responsorial psalm extols God’s concern for the poor. And thus His name is praised and blessed forever. “He raises up the lowly from the dust; from the dunghill he lifts up the poor to seat them with princes, with the princes of his own people.” And even though He is enthroned on high, in the glory of the heavens, He “lifts up the poor.” When taken in conjunction with the prophecy of Amos, it is clear that God rejects the practices Amos was highlighting as scurrilous.

In the second reading, St. Paul is looking for harmony between “kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life ...” The purpose is not to be in constant battle with the world but to bring the world to the knowledge of truth because God “wills everyone to be saved” and to do that they must learn the truth. We see in today’s world how denial of truth wreaks havoc and not a “quiet and tranquil life.” The prophet Isaiah spoke about the woe that would come from such denial, especially by those who consider themselves the elite. “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!” (Isaiah 5:20-21) Unfortunately, the woe extends to everyone, possibly because of a reluctance to call out the lies which makes people complicit in them.

St. Paul explains the truth, “For there is one God. There is also one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as ransom for all.” He concludes with a call to prayer with uplifted hands. Prayer can be unifying. Also, “The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful.” (James 5:16)

In the gospel reading we have a lesson in priority and stewardship. The rich man is God and the steward represents us. As the aforementioned Catechism cites note, we are stewards of the gifts from God, whether they be our possessions, our talents, or our wealth. Broken though we are, we have a tendency to squander them, for which we shall be called to answer come our judgment day. In today’s gospel, that day is coming for the rich man’s steward. The steward works to endear his master’s debtors to himself in hopes that, once he is sacked, they will treat him favorably. For his foresight and prudence, the master commends him.

The Collegeville Bible Commentary notes that the steward’s modification of debts may not have been an act of cheating his master as stewards “worked on commission,” so to speak, and he may have been writing off his commission in order to help him in his expected transition. Additionally, his prudent action means that his employer will get some return rather than the possibility of losing what is owed to him if the steward leaves without an accounting of the debts.

However, Jesus then gets a main point of this story which is that of trust. One who cannot even be trusted with dishonest wealth is not likely to be trusted with true wealth. This is especially true with things belonging to others. “If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours?”

Jesus closes this example noting that “No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon.” (Mammon is a term typically referring to wealth and power.)

This is once again a lesson in putting God first. Mother Angelica used an example in one of her lessons that seems to apply here, “The person who continues to commit [grievous sin] and goes to church, whether he’s born-again or not, isn’t loving God. You can’t be a part of Satan’s kingdom and God’s kingdom at the same time.” Mother Angelica, Private and Pithy Lessons from the Scriptures.

Another way of saying this is that being a fence-sitter is not likely to be a successful strategy in getting you to heaven. In other words, you must choose. We have free will. Failure to choose is, in itself, a choice.

“Our free will is the only thing that is really our own. Our health, our wealth, our power – all these God can take from us. But freedom he leaves to us, even in hell. Because freedom is our own, it is the only perfect gift we can make to God.” Bishop Fulton Sheen, The World’s First Love.