Archive for September 20, 2025

SUNDAY BIBLE REFLECTION

Posted: September 20, 2025 by CatholicJules in Sunday Reflections
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Twenty-Fifth Sunday
in Ordinary Time

Amos 8:4–7
Psalm 113:1–2, 4–6, 7–8
1 Timothy 2:1–8
Luke 16:1–13


Prudent Stewards

The steward in today’s Gospel confronts the reality that he can’t go on living the way he has been. He is under judgment. He must give account for what he has done.

The exploiters of the poor in today’s First Reading are also about to be pulled down, to be thrust from their stations (see Isaiah 22:19). Servants of mammon, or money, they’re so in love with wealth that they reduce the poor to objects; they despise the new moons and sabbaths—the observances and holy days of God (see Leviticus 23:24; Exodus 20:8).

Their only hope is to follow the steward’s path. He is no model of repentance. But he makes a prudent calculation—to use his last hours in charge of his master’s property to show mercy to others, to relieve their debts.

He is a child of this world, driven by a purely selfish motive—to make friends and be welcomed into the homes of his master’s debtors. Yet his prudence is commended as an example to us, the children of light (see 1 Thessalonians 5:5; Ephesians 5:8). We too must realize, as the steward does, that what we have is not honestly ours, but in truth belongs to another, our Master.

All the mammon in the world could not have paid the debt we owe our Master.

So He paid it for us. He gave His life as a ransom for all, as we hear in today’s Epistle. God wants everyone to be saved, even kings and princes, even the lovers of money (see Luke 16:14). But we cannot serve two Masters. By His grace, we should choose to be, as we sing in today’s Psalm, “servants of the Lord.”

We serve Him by using what He has entrusted us with to give alms, to lift the lowly from the dust and dunghills of this world. By this we will gain what is ours and be welcomed into eternal dwellings, the many mansions of the Father’s house (see John 14:2).

On Today’s Gospel

Posted: September 20, 2025 by CatholicJules in Personal Thoughts & Reflections
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This Saturday morning, let us take it upon ourselves to dwell deeper and recollect who is Jesus Christ for us personally, so that the truth, the single truth of today’s gospel can be unlocked for us and embraced in such a way that we no longer gloss over it.

Jesus, the all powerful Word of God, was made flesh and dwelt among us. He is truly the Lord, the king of kings. In order to receive the life-giving Word of God, who gives to us freely because He loves us so deeply, the key is a charitable, humble heart. Where deep calls on deep. Where the soil of our hearts is richly prepared to embrace the Word of God  deeply into our hearts that it takes root.

His love then grows within us and yields a bountiful harvest as the fire of His love is spread throughout the nations, so that everyone who listens to us speak the testimony of Jesus from our hearts. They too shall embrace the joy of the gospel message within them and are in turn fruitful.

Glory to you, O Lord. Amen.

Saints Laurent Imbert, Bishop, Jacques Chastan, Priest, (Penang College General Fathers), Andrew Kim Taegon, Priest, and Paul Chong Hasang, and their Companions, Martyrs pray for us…


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First reading
1 Timothy 6:13-16 ·


I put to you the duty of doing all that you have been told

Before God the source of all life and before Christ, who spoke up as a witness for the truth in front of Pontius Pilate, I put to you the duty of doing all that you have been told, with no faults or failures, until the Appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,

who at the due time will be revealed
by God, the blessed and only Ruler of all,
the King of kings and the Lord of lords,
who alone is immortal,
whose home is in inaccessible light,
whom no man has seen and no man is able to see:
to him be honour and everlasting power. Amen.

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Gospel
Luke 8:4-15


The parable of the sower

With a large crowd gathering and people from every town finding their way to him, Jesus used this parable:
    ‘A sower went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some fell on the edge of the path and was trampled on; and the birds of the air ate it up. Some seed fell on rock, and when it came up it withered away, having no moisture. Some seed fell amongst thorns and the thorns grew with it and choked it. And some seed fell into rich soil and grew and produced its crop a hundredfold.’ Saying this he cried, ‘Listen, anyone who has ears to hear!’
    His disciples asked him what this parable might mean, and he said, ‘The mysteries of the kingdom of God are revealed to you; for the rest there are only parables, so that

they may see but not perceive,
listen but not understand.

‘This, then, is what the parable means: the seed is the word of God. Those on the edge of the path are people who have heard it, and then the devil comes and carries away the word from their hearts in case they should believe and be saved. Those on the rock are people who, when they first hear it, welcome the word with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of trial they give up. As for the part that fell into thorns, this is people who have heard, but as they go on their way they are choked by the worries and riches and pleasures of life and do not reach maturity. As for the part in the rich soil, this is people with a noble and generous heart who have heard the word and take it to themselves and yield a harvest through their perseverance.’