Homily of the 25th Sunday of Ordinary time, Year C: Nothing Should Replace God
25th Sunday of Ordinary time, Year C: 21st September 2025 Nothing Should Replace God: Faithful in a Faithless World Readings: Amos 8:4–7 | Psalm 113 | 1 Timothy 2:1–8 | Luke 16:1–13 We live in a world with significant social imbalance. The poor are oppressed and reduced to commodities that can be bought, sold, or manipulated. This situation extends beyond being rich or poor; it also involves dishonesty. Cheating has unfortunately become the norm. People adjust the scales and balances to achieve false results and extort more money from buyers. Some exploit the businesses of others to gain friends for themselves. You entrust your business to one individual, only for him to deceive you in his quest to become rich overnight. These are some of the ills highlighted in today’s first reading and the Gospel. The solution is to turn to God in prayer, as recommended by Saint Paul’s First Letter to Timothy 2:1-8. We must prioritise God in our lives. We live in an era of clever deals and cunning shortcuts. In business, in politics, and even in personal relationships, individuals hustle not merely to survive — but to win. But at what cost? Today’s first reading from Amos exposes a an unjust world where the rich trample the poor, cheat with dishonest scales, and treat human beings like merchandise. This sounds so familiar to many of us. In effect, it is a world where profit comes before people, and money replaces God. Jesus picks up this theme in the Gospel with a startling story: the dishonest steward. He is wasteful, then astute. He loses his job but secures his future by forging friendships with his master’s debtors. Now, Jesus is not praising dishonesty. He is teaching us the importance of foresight. The steward prepares for his future. So too we must be very astute to prepare for the best of the future, our stay with God. Jesus therefore takes the parable to a future that is beyond this world. We can ask ourselves these challenging questions: Are we more cunning about our finances than we are about our souls? Are we investing in our eternal future, or just in temporary gain? St. Paul, in his letter to Timothy, reminds us what matters most: “There is only one God and one mediator — Christ Jesus — who gave himself as a ransom for all.” That is the kind of saving we need. Not only in banks, but in prayer, in generosity, in love, in truth. Dear friends, there is a spiritual battle for our priorities. Many today worship at the altar of success, popularity, and material security. But Christ tells us plainly: “You cannot serve both God and money.” One must take first place. So here is the message: Be wise, indeed. Plan ahead, indeed. However, in all your planning, let nothing—not money, not ambition, not even religious activity—replace God in your life. Let’s be honest and faithful — even when no one is watching. Let’s be generous with those in need. Let’s pray, not just for ourselves, but for everyone — leaders, neighbours, enemies — as Paul exhorts us to do. Ultimately, what matters is not what we have, but who we serve. And only one Master can save. Prayer: Lord God, in a world of greed and injustice, help us remain faithful to You. Give us courage to be honest, wisdom to invest in eternity, and love to serve the poor and forgotten. Let nothing take Your place in our hearts. You alone are God, and Jesus Christ alone is our Mediator. We entrust our lives, our plans, and our wealth to You. Amen. #25thSunday #SundayHomily #FaithfulNotFaithless #NothingReplacesGod #GodFirst #ServeGodNotMoney #FaithInAction #HonestLiving #GospelTruth #PrayerAndJustice #ChristianLife #LivingTheWord #FaithOverWealth #KingdomValues #FollowingChrist
