25th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

Mass Readings for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

• First Reading – Amos 8:4-7: “Hear this, you who trample upon the needy and destroy the poor of the land!”
• Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 113: “Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor.”
• Second Reading – 1 Timothy 2:1-8: “First of all, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity.”
• Gospel – Luke 16:1-13: “For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.”

Themes for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

The readings for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C ask if we are as energetic in our spiritual lives as we are in acquiring wealth and the respect of others. In the first reading we are warned against cheating others and trampling on their rights. The psalm reminds us that God cares about the poor. In the second reading, Paul reminds us to pray for everyone, including those in authority. In the gospel Jesus tells the parable of the Dishonest Steward, who used his wits to gain favor.

• Using my influence for good
• Pursuing the spiritual life with all our energy
• Cheating
• Rights of the poor

See the Homilies and Reflections section and the More Thoughts section for further expansion on these readings and some reflection questions for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C.

The Savvy Steward – A Lesson Plan on Wealth

This lesson plan on the parable of the dishonest steward will help youth understand that we must have a healthy relationship with wealth and materials goods. They cannot become more important than the Lord.

Show Me the Money Game

Show Me the Money is just a fun game played with play money. It is meant to get everyone interacting and there is no real lesson here.

For Love or Money: A Lesson Plan on Wealth

This For Love or Money lesson plan on wealth will help youth consider how material possessions and wealth can be an obstacle to discipleship.

Penny Chin Game

Penny Chin is a funny game where players try to balance a penny on their chins without tilting their heads back or touching it with their hands. There is a trick!

Pope Francis’ Five Finger Prayer

Pope Francis’ Five Finger Prayer is a way to remember who to pray for. Download a printable PDF of this prayer aid.

Parable of the Talents

This lesson plan and reflection on the Parable of the Talents will help youth consider how they use their gifts and talents to grow the Kingdom of God.

Don’t Demonize—or Divinize—the Powerful

From Bishop Robert Barron. “Friends, the first and second readings this Sunday beautifully show both sides of Catholic social teaching: the balance between recognizing political, economic, and social power, and criticizing the abuse of that power. We should not demonize our leaders; we pray for them, and we recognize their importance. But we should not divinize them either; we are deeply aware of the ways that their power can be corrupted.”

Two Masters

The dishonest steward in the gospel is attached to money, but eventually becomes free from his love of money. Jeff Cavins explains in this reflection on the readings for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C.

Finding Security in Relationships

From Fr. Richard Rohr. “We’re wired to focus on short-term, practical gains. And, of course, money often does solve our short-term problems. But I hear Jesus saying that a long-term solution is to seek relationship over money. … Some folks who may not have a 401k or retirement fund rely on their family and community as insurance. They stick together much better than many financially comfortable people do. When we’re well off, we often don’t need or care about one another. ” Continue reading.

Learning Detachment from Your Stuff

Sometimes the things that we own end up owning us. Detachment prevents this from happening. Fr. Mike Schmitz explains that it’s not so much having a lot of stuff that’s the problem: it’s being attached to those things, and letting them have a sense of control over your life.

The Unjust Steward

From Bishop Robert Barron. In a puzzling parable, Jesus praises a man who is a self-absorbed cheat. What the Lord notices in the man’s dubious behavior are three things of spiritual importance: he knows that he is in crisis; he makes an honest self-assessment; and, most importantly, he acts.

Prudent Stewards

A reflection for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C from Scott Hahn. “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.” Continue reading.

The Moral of the Story

A reflection for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C from Loyola Press. “Today’s Gospel sounds puzzling to contemporary readers, but it can be made less so by considering the economic system which stands behind the parable.” Continue reading.

How to Avoid a Fractured Spirituality

Also from Word on Fire. “If you look at what all successful people have in common—from sports to entertainment to business—it’s that they have a singular devotion to a specific goal.” Continue reading.