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Saint Gertrude Parish - Lasne
September 21, 2025
On this page you will find:
The readings for Mass, the Mass leaflet with the choice of hymns
A sample universal prayer available for download , in PDF and editable Word formats.
A meditation on the Sunday Gospel , a spiritual text and a commentary by Marie-Noëlle Thabut
25th Sunday
Ordinary Time
"You cannot serve both God and money."
Luke 16:13
Readings from the Mass
Mass leaflet
Universal Prayer
Lectio Divina
Consult this page for a prayerful preparation for the liturgy and then read the meditations below.
Meditation
The parable presented in today's Gospel reading (cf. Lk 16:1-13) seems a little difficult to understand. Jesus tells a story of corruption: a dishonest steward steals and then, discovered by his employer, uses cunning to extricate himself from the situation. We ask ourselves: what does this cunning consist of—the man who uses it is corrupt—and what does Jesus want to tell us?
In this story, we see how the corrupt manager finds himself in trouble for having misappropriated his master's property: now he will have to answer for his actions and will lose his job. But he does not admit defeat, he does not resign himself to his fate, and he does not act like a victim; on the contrary, he acts immediately with cunning, he seeks a solution, he is enterprising. Jesus uses this story to issue us his first challenge: "The children of this world," he says, "are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than the children of light" (v. 8). That is to say, it sometimes happens that those who act in darkness, according to certain worldly standards, know how to extricate themselves even in difficulties, know how to be more cunning than others; on the contrary, the disciples of Jesus, that is to say, we, are sometimes asleep, or else we are naive, we do not know how to take the initiative to seek a way out of difficulties (cf. Evangelii Gaudium , n. 24). For example, I think of times of personal, social, and even ecclesial crisis: we sometimes let ourselves be overcome by discouragement, or we give in to complaining and self-pity. On the contrary—says Jesus—we could also be skillful according to the Gospel, alert and attentive to discern reality, creative in seeking good solutions, for ourselves and for others.
But there is also another lesson that Jesus offers us. Indeed, what is the steward's cunning? He decides to give a discount to the debtors, thus making friends with them, hoping they will help him when the master dismisses him. Previously, he accumulated wealth for himself; now, he uses it to make friends who will help him in the future. By the same token, stealing. Jesus then offers us a lesson on the use of possessions: “Make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails, they may welcome you into the eternal dwellings” (v. 9). That is to say, to inherit eternal life, it is useless to accumulate worldly goods, but what counts is the charity we have lived in our fraternal relationships. This, then, is Jesus' invitation: do not use the goods of this world only for yourselves and for your selfishness, but use them to establish friendships, to create good relationships, to act in charity, to promote brotherhood and to take care of the weakest.
Brothers and sisters, in today's world, too, there are stories of corruption like the one in the Gospel; dishonest conduct, unjust policies, selfishness that dominates the choices of individuals and institutions, and so many other dark situations. But we Christians are not permitted to become discouraged, or worse, to give up, to remain indifferent. On the contrary, we are called to be creative in doing good, with the prudence and skill of the Gospel, using the goods of this world—not only material ones, but all the gifts we have received from the Lord—not to enrich ourselves, but to foster brotherly love and social friendship. This is very important: to foster social friendship through our actions.
Let us pray to the Most Holy Virgin Mary that she may help us to be like her, poor in spirit and rich in mutual charity.
POPE FRANCIS
ANGELUS
Saint Peter's Square
Sunday, September 18, 2022
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"Who is like the Lord our God?"
Today, Jesus invites us to reflect seriously on two opposing lifestyles: the worldly lifestyle and the lifestyle of the Gospel, the spirit of the world and the spirit of Jesus. To help us better understand his message, Jesus tells us the parable of the dishonest and corrupt manager: he is about to be fired for serious misconduct; now, he will find himself on the street, penniless. He quickly considers the best solution. He thinks he can gain the favor of his master's debtors by reducing their debt. This is how he chooses to secure his future. Of course, we cannot condone this trickery. What is highlighted is the cunning of the "children of this world." When it comes to their personal interests, they know how to find solutions. Christ would like the "children of light" to be just as cunning so that money can serve everyone. Pope Francis invited us “to respond to this worldly cunning with Christian cunning, which is a gift of the Holy Spirit.” It is about turning away from worldly values to live according to the Gospel. Through this teaching, Christ calls us to choose between the spirit of the world and himself, between the logic of corruption and greed and that of righteousness, gentleness, and sharing. “Make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.” Saint Teresa of Calcutta understood this message well: These friends are the poorest of the poor, the destitute, the excluded. Through them, Jesus is present. Every time we serve them, it is he whom we serve. The primary friendship we must seek is that of God. He is our supreme treasure, enabling us to be welcomed “into the eternal dwellings.” The first reading presents us with a powerful proclamation from the prophet Amos. He harshly criticizes disorder, inequality, and the exploitation of the poor. As a cattle herder, he knew a thing or two about this. The enrichment of the rich at the expense of the poor. He denounces the deception surrounding goods. When the dependence of the weakest is exploited even further, it is intolerable. This is not the purpose for which God made a covenant with his people. Through the oppressed and exploited, it is he himself who is struck. Amos is no longer with us, but his message is more relevant than ever: we must understand that more than half of the world's wealth is held by one percent of the population. And what about the shady dealings of all kinds, the deception surrounding goods, the scams on the internet? If Amos were here, he would denounce the current state of slavery: Men, women, and even children work long hours to barely earn enough to eat. When we buy products made in this way, we participate in this injustice. It is urgent that we heed Amos's call to build a more just and fraternal world. In the second In our reading, we have the testimony of Saint Paul. The lust for gain is certainly not his concern. On the contrary, he dedicated himself to the service of faith and truth. He proclaims a God who desires the salvation of all people. Jesus died for everyone, including those who hold political office. Paul asks that we pray for all people, and especially for those in positions of responsibility in our society: that they may foster the climate of peace and dignity that our world so desperately needs. True prayer is speaking to God about his plan, entering into his plan and allowing ourselves to be imbued with it. With him, we will become capable of spreading the Good News like wildfire. The most important moment is Sunday Mass. It can be compared to a large-scale construction site meeting. This construction site is that of the Kingdom of God. If we want to be faithful to the Master Builder, our presence is essential. In a few days, we will enter the month of the Rosary: in communion with all the pilgrims of In Lourdes and elsewhere, we ask the Virgin Mary to help us choose the right path. It is with her that we will find the courage to go against the current to follow Jesus and his Gospel.
Source: https://puiseralasource.fr/
Better understanding the Gospel
with Marie-Noëlle Thabut
In chapters 14 to 16, Saint Luke recounts what could be called Jesus' "table talk." While this literary genre is unique to Luke among the evangelists, it was common in his time. Jesus is invited to a meal and, like the other guests, when his turn comes, he offers reflections and teachings. The Gospel reading we had a few weeks ago about choosing a seat when invited to a banquet was very much in this vein. Several of the teachings recorded in this section of Luke's Gospel, including the one we have today, are found only in Luke.
This text is not a parable in the usual sense of the word. The technique of the parable generally consisted of leading the listeners to identify with one of the characters and to draw from this identification a lesson they would not have otherwise accepted. Moreover, most of Jesus' parables are a teaching about his Father, which is not the case here. The rich man at the beginning of the story, who is there only to introduce the dishonest manager whom he is holding accountable, cannot be identified with God the Father.
It is perfectly reasonable to think that Jesus, in this account, is alluding to a recent event that everyone knew about. He uses it as a starting point to teach about the proper attitude toward money, which is powerfully summarized in the final sentence: "You cannot serve both God and money." And it is no coincidence that Luke, an excellent writer who always chooses his words carefully, uses the word "serve" here.
This story is of a completely different kind than, for example, the parable of the master who entrusts talents to his servants before going on a journey and asks them to account for their management upon his return. In that parable, the master in question personified Christ himself. Here, Jesus' teaching contrasts two worlds with entirely different value systems.
The first world is that of those who have become slaves to wealth and who engage in all sorts of schemes, some more cunning than others. For everyone in this world, only profit matters. First, there is a "rich man" (and it would be unthinkable, in Luke's mind, for whom Jesus' teaching on poverty is so important, that this "rich man" could represent God the Father). This rich man has no servants; he has a "manager" of his assets, and when he learns that this manager is not managing well, he demands an accounting and simply dismisses him—as is done in the business world. This manager is shrewd and knows how to secure his future through his latest transactions, much like company presidents who receive millions of euros or dollars as compensation when they are dismissed for mismanagement or fraud.
We can appreciate the skill of this "deceit," as the master of this dishonest manager does. But obviously, Jesus is not inviting us to do the same. He is even inviting us to do the exact opposite, lamenting that the children of "this world" of darkness are more skillful in their own world than the children of light are in theirs. The money we have at our disposal—and which always remains "deceptive" money that risks deceiving us about our own worth—should be used not to buy friends, as one might superficially understand this text—which would only be a slightly nobler form of corruption—but to make friends in the eternal dwellings. That is to say, to live in such a way that our hearts are already in the eternal dwellings, so that those who live there are already our friends and will welcome us there when we cross to the other side.
The fundamental question is not whether we have little money, much money, or none at all, but rather, "Where is our heart?" and "Who is our master?" We can be slaves to material things even if we possess very little. Furthermore, if we are truly "servants" of God and his Son Jesus Christ, we will, following his example, become servants of all our brothers and sisters, whether our possessions are small or large. One cannot "serve" both God and money.
Furthermore, the French translation of this last sentence does not fully capture the force of Luke's text, which personifies money by giving it a proper name: "Mammon." "You cannot," Jesus says, "serve both God and Mammon."
We need to choose whom we want to be "servants" of, and therefore whom we want to have as our "master".
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