Daily Catholic Lectio
Sun, 21 September ‘25
Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Amos 8:4-7. 1 Timothy 2:1-8. Luke 16:1-13
A Blessed Future in Him!
A famous businessman once told a priest: “Father, I’ve spent my whole life earning money for my children. But now I realize that while I was building their future, I was destroying their values. I taught them how to make money, but not how to live with love.” That confession captures today’s Word: our future is not secured by wealth or power, but by God’s justice, prayer, and generosity. Without Him, our riches rot, our plans collapse, and our future is fragile. With Him, our future is blessed.
1. Justice Builds the Future, Not Exploitation
Scripture: The prophet Amos speaks in a time of prosperity in Israel. Yet beneath the surface, the poor were being crushed: farmers cheated, weights and measures manipulated, and the Sabbath treated as an obstacle to business. God warns: “I will never forget a thing they have done” (Amos 8:7).
Reflection: Here we see the moral contradiction of society. Outwardly, people kept religious observances, but inwardly they were plotting ways to exploit. They observed Sabbath prayers but only waited impatiently to resume cheating. Amos unmasks the lie: God cannot be deceived by rituals when justice is absent. Prosperity built on exploitation is like a house on sand.
Pastoral Insight: Today, we see similar contradictions. Some Christians attend Mass but cheat in the workplace. Others pray piously yet ignore the cry of the poor. Like Amos, the Church must be the voice of justice: a future without fairness is no future at all.
Application: Each of us must ask: do I measure success only in profit, or in how I treat the weakest? Do my leadership and choices safeguard the dignity of the poor? Our future is blessed only when it is built on justice.
2. Prayer Anchors the Community in Peace
Scripture: Paul urges Timothy: “Pray for everyone, especially for kings and all in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in godliness” (1 Tim 2:1–2). The early Christians were accused of being threats to society. Paul reminds them: prayer is not withdrawal from the world but engagement with its future.
Reflection: This touches the existential contradiction we live daily: should we simply live carefree—“do not worry about tomorrow”—or should we prepare responsibly like the wise virgins who carried oil? Paul teaches us the balance: entrust the future to God in prayer, but act responsibly in the present.
Pastoral Insight: Too often, we act as if our future depends only on politics, money, or human power. But prayer lifts our horizon to God, the true Lord of history. Prayer for rulers—even unjust ones—frees us from fear, resentment, and bitterness. It entrusts our nation’s destiny to the God who desires all to be saved.
Application: Do we as a community pray with our people for peace, justice, and good governance—or do we only complain? When families, parishes, and dioceses pray for leaders, society changes. Our future is blessed when it is prayed over and handed into God’s hands.
3. Using Wealth to Gain Eternal Friends
Scripture: The parable of the dishonest steward shocks us. He manipulates accounts to secure friends, and surprisingly, the master praises him. Jesus clarifies: “Make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth, so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into eternal dwellings” (Lk 16:9).
Reflection: This is the economic contradiction: wealth can enslave or liberate, corrupt or redeem. The steward is not praised for dishonesty but for foresight. He recognized money as temporary and used it to build relationships that would outlast him. Jesus is teaching us: wealth is dangerous when hoarded, but salvific when shared.
Pastoral Insight: Money is necessary, but it is not ultimate. If it isolates us, it becomes our master. If it is used for generosity, it becomes a servant of the Kingdom. As Jesus says: “You cannot serve both God and wealth.” The true measure of wealth is not how much we accumulate, but how much we transform into love.
Application: What do I do with the resources entrusted to me—money, time, health, relationships? Do they build solidarity, support the poor, and strengthen the Church, or do they feed only my comfort? Wealth can buy pleasure, but only love gives eternal security. Our blessed future is not in possessions but in friendships born of generosity.
Conclusion – A Blessed Future in Him!
Amos warns: injustice destroys nations. Paul insists: prayer entrusts the future to God. Jesus reveals: wealth must serve love, not dominate life. Together they proclaim: “A blessed future lies only in God.”
The Psalmist asks: “Who is like the Lord our God, who raises the poor from the dust?” (Ps 113). That is our answer: when we entrust justice, prayer, and generosity to Him, our future is secure.
A Middle Eastern proverb says: “God will take care of everything—but tie up your camel.” So too in our Christian life: we do our part—defend justice, pray for peace, and use wealth for love—but we entrust the outcome to God. Our future is not in money, politics, or exploitation. Our blessed future is in Him.
Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi
Archdiocese of Madurai
Missionary of Mercy
Yesu Karunanidhi 
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