Homily – 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (2025)

Go to the bottom of the page for the Children’s Liturgy Questions

You Cannot Serve Two Masters
My brothers and sisters, we live in a world full of choices. Every day we choose what to eat, what to wear, where to go, and how to spend our money. But there is one very important choice that Jesus asks us to make: Who is the master of your life?  We live in a world full of blessings and possibilities. There are many chances to work, to save, and to enjoy the good things of life. But sometimes money and possessions can quietly take too much space in the human heart. God’s Word today reminds us clearly: we cannot serve both God and money. We must choose

The prophet Amos speaks strongly against those who cheat the poor and care only about gaining more money. God sees injustice, and He does not forget. We are called to live with fairness and honesty in all that we do. Whether at work, in business, or in the small choices of daily life, we must respect others and never take advantage of them. God reminds us clearly: people are always more important than profit. Amos 8:4–7

Saint Paul tells us to pray for everyone, especially our leaders. Why? Because God wants all people to be saved. It is easy to complain about leaders or about the way things are governed. But Paul teaches us to pray for them. Prayer makes our hearts softer and protects us from anger and division. Even when we do not agree, we can still ask God to guide those in authority for the good of all. 1 Timothy 2:1–8

Luke 16:1–13: Jesus tells a story about a dishonest servant who was clever in making plans for his future. The master did not praise him for being dishonest, but for being wise and quick to act. Jesus then says clearly: “You cannot serve both God and money.” Jesus is asking us a deep question: What are you truly living for? Money, success, and comfort will not last forever. Only God endures. Wealth can be a blessing when it is used well—to help those in need, to support the mission of the Church, and to care for our families. But if wealth takes first place in our lives, it becomes our master, and we risk losing our soul. Our hearts must belong to God before anything else.

Dear my brothers and sisters, the message today is simple but serious: we must choose our master—either God or money, either eternal life or passing things. Jesus calls us to measure success not by wealth, but by love, by faith, and by generosity. Imagine if every gift we had was used to bless others, to bring hope, and to support the mission of the Church. What a difference that would make in the world!

So let us ask God to free our hearts from greed, to help us live with honesty, to make us people of prayer, and to give us the courage to put Him first in everything. In the end, when we stand before Him, it will not matter how much we owned, but how much we loved.

Amen.

CHILDREN’S LITURGY QUESTIONS

25th Sunday: – 20 Questions for Kids (Luke 16:1–13).

1. Did Jesus tell a story about a rich man and his manager? Yes
2. Was the manager accused of wasting the rich man’s things? Yes
3. Did the rich man say the manager would lose his job? Yes
4. Did the manager think he was strong enough to dig? No
5. Did the manager want people to welcome him later? Yes
6. Did the manager lower the debts of the people who owed his master? Yes
7. Did he tell one man to write less oil than he owed? Yes
8. Did the manager make the debt of wheat become more? No
9. Did the master praise the manager for being clever? Yes
10. 10.Did Jesus say the children of this world can be wiser than the children of light? Yes
11. Did Jesus say to use money to make friends for heaven? Yes
12. Did Jesus say to be faithful in small things and in big things? Yes
13. Will a person who is dishonest in small things be honest in big things? No
14. Did Jesus say no one can serve two masters? Yes
15. Can a person serve both God and money at the same time? No
16. Did Jesus say we must choose who we will serve? Yes
17. Does Jesus want us to love money more than God? No
18. Is God the true treasure we should follow? Yes
19. Did the story show that cleverness can be used in good ways? Yes
20. Did Jesus teach that we should always put God first in our lives? Yes