Sunday between 18 and 24 September
Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
First Reading - Amos 8.4-7
A reading from the book of the prophet Amos.
Hear this,
you that trample
on the needy,
and bring the poor of the land
to ruin!
You long
for the new moon holiday
to be over,
you long
for the sabbath
to end,
so that you can return
to trading
in wheat and grain,
with your dishonest
balances, measures, and weights,
and the chaff
still in
with the wheat.
With your silver
you buy the poor;
and you enslave the needy
for a single pair of shoes.
The Lord has sworn,
by the honour of Jacob: I will not
forget your deeds.
This is the word of the Lord.
Second Reading - 1 Timothy 2.1-7
A reading from the first letter of Paul to Timothy.
Pray,
and give thanks,
for everyone;
including kings,
and all in authority;
that there may be peace,
so that we can live
with godliness,
and dignity.
For God our Saviour
longs for everyone
to be saved,
and to know this truth -
the truth I was called to proclaim
to all nations
as an apostle -
that there is
one God,
and there is
one mediator
between God and humankind -
Christ Jesus,
himself human, who gave himself
as a ransom for all.
This is the word of the Lord.
Gospel - Luke 16.1-13
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
according to Luke.
Jesus said, ‘A rich man’s manager
was accused
of wasteful spending.
So the rich man told the manager
to finalise his accounts, and leave.
The manager said to himself, “What can I do,
now that my master
is dismissing me?
I am too weak to dig,
and too ashamed to beg.”
So the manager devised a plan,
to ensure that when he left his employment,
people would welcome him
into their homes.
He summoned his master’s debtors, one by one,
and asked them how much they owed.
One owed a hundred sacks of wheat;
the manager told him
to sit down, take his account, and quickly
change it to eighty.
Another owed a hundred jugs of oil;
the manager told him to take his account,
and change it to fifty.
And the rich man
was actually impressed
to see just how expertly
the dishonest manager
could work
to protect his own interests.
For the children of this age
are more expert
than the children of light
in dealing
with their own generation!
So I tell you,
use your worldly wealth
to make friends for yourselves,
so that
you have
friends who will
welcome you
into their homes
when all your worldly wealth
is gone.
Now only
those who do what is right
with minor things
will be trusted
with greater things.
So do what is right with your worldly wealth,
and you will be entrusted with true riches.
Do what is right for others,
and they will do what is right for you.
You cannot serve two masters,
for you will love one, and hate the other:
you cannot serve
both God
and worldly wealth.’
This is the Gospel of the Lord.