Most Rev. Joseph Osei-Bonsu (Emeritus Bishop of Konongo-Mampong) reflection for 25th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C (21/9/2025)

Amos 8:4-7/ 1 Timothy 2:1-8/ Luke 16:1-13

Synopsis of the Readings

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday the word of God confronts us with truths that may unsettle us, yet are vital to our faith. Amos denounces the exploitation of the poor. Paul urges prayer for leaders and reminds us of God’s universal desire to save. Jesus gives us the parable of the dishonest steward, teaching that the same determination people use in worldly affairs must be applied with greater urgency in spiritual ones. Together, these readings remind us: to be faithful to God is to live justly, to pray without exclusion, and to act with foresight in the light of eternity.

Dearly beloved, the first reading from Amos takes us to the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of King Jeroboam II (8th century BCE). Outwardly, it was a time of prosperity. The economy was booming, the markets were bustling, and the elite enjoyed lives of comfort. Yet beneath this glittering surface lay deep corruption and exploitation. Merchants were manipulating their scales. The prophet Amos gives precise details: “they make the ephah small and the shekel great”.  The ephah, a standard unit of dry measure for grain, was being deliberately reduced so that merchants gave buyers less than what they paid for. At the same time, the shekel, a unit of weight and money, was artificially increased so that traders demanded more silver than was fair. By manipulating both ends of the transaction – shorting the measure and inflating the price – merchants systematically defrauded ordinary people. Worse still, they mixed the refuse of the wheat – the chaff and sweepings – into the good grain. To make matters even more shocking, the poor themselves were treated as commodities: “We will buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals”. This statement portrays a society where the vulnerable were commodified and sold into debt slavery for trivial sums. To “buy the poor for silver” points to the practice of reducing people to property over minor debts, while “for a pair of sandals” underscores the absurdly cheap price for which the needy could be exploited.

These same merchants kept the Sabbath and the feast of the new moon, but only reluctantly, waiting impatiently for them to end so that business could resume. Worship had become a mere inconvenience. The God who had rescued them from Egypt was now ignored, while wealth became their true master. Amos thunders that God will not forget such deeds. Injustice against the poor was not a mere social issue; it was a violation of the covenant itself.

My dear people of God, how painfully close to home this strikes us in Ghana! We witness it daily. We see it when traders at Makola, Kumasi Central Market, and other markets tamper with their scales to cheat unsuspecting customers. We see it when fuel station attendants dilute petrol or diesel with kerosene, all in the name of profit. We see it when unscrupulous contractors cut corners with inferior cement and iron rods, causing buildings to collapse and lives to be lost. We see it when employers pay wages so meagre they cannot feed a family for a week, while they themselves bask in luxury. We see it when our cocoa farmers labour in the scorching sun, yet receive so little that their children are denied education, while middlemen and exporters enrich themselves. And yes, we see it when politicians divert state funds meant for hospitals, roads, and schools into their own pockets.

We see it clearly when politicians, Members of Parliament, traditional rulers, and influential individuals bring in excavators for galamsey – fattening their pockets while poisoning our rivers, devastating our land, and endangering the very lives of their own people, including the poor labourers forced to toil in dangerous and unhealthy conditions. The cry of the earth and the cry of the poor rise together before God. And just as Amos declared, so must we: the Lord will not forget such deeds.  Amos cries out to us as much as to ancient Israel: God will not forget these deeds. His message is simple and terrible: worship without justice is hypocrisy. Faith is not measured only by Sunday worship, but by how we treat one another, especially the poor and the vulnerable.  The God who delivered Israel will judge a people who betray their neighbours for profit.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, in our second reading from 1 Timothy, Paul sets before Timothy and the early Church a radically different way of life. Remember, they were a small community – misunderstood, maligned, and at times persecuted. It would have been easy, even natural, to pray only for themselves: for their safety, for their protection, for their survival. But Paul calls them higher. He urges them to pray for everyone – “supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings” – and especially for kings and those in authority. And let us not forget: many of these rulers were not sympathetic. Many were unjust. Some were openly hostile to the followers of Christ. 

Yet Paul says, pray for them.  Why? Not because every ruler is good. Not because every leader is just. But because God’s heart is larger than ours. It is because“God desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth”. And here is the heart of the matter: Jesus gave himself as a ransom not for a few, not only for the righteous, not for one tribe, one people, or one nation – but for all. For all! And so our prayer must also be for all – broad, generous, without discrimination. Our prayer must reflect the mercy of God, who leaves no one out.

For us here in Ghana, this message speaks directly to our reality. During election seasons, our nation is so often torn along political and ethnic lines. Some pray for the victory of their own party and may even curse the leaders of other parties.  But Paul reminds us that true Christian prayer must rise above such divisions. We are called to pray for the President, for Parliament, for our traditional rulers, and indeed for all in authority– whether or not we support them, whether or not we agree with them. We pray that they may govern with wisdom, justice, and integrity, so that the Church may fulfil its mission in peace. And even when leaders fail us, even when they disappoint or frustrate us, our call does not change. We continue to intercede for them, because prayer is an act of trust – not in human power, but in the God who can work his purposes even through flawed instruments.

My dear People of God, today’s Gospel from Luke presents one of Jesus’ most puzzling parables: the parable of the dishonest steward. On the surface it seems scandalous – how can Jesus appear to commend dishonesty? But if we look deeper, the lesson lies not in the steward’s fraud but in his foresight.

Faced with the loss of his job and his livelihood, too weak to dig and too proud to beg, the steward acted decisively. By reducing the debts of his master’s clients, he ensured that when he was dismissed, they would welcome him into their homes. The master praised him, not for cheating, but for his shrewdness – his ability to sacrifice immediate profit for long-term security.  And then Jesus delivers the punchline: “The children of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the children of light”. In other words, worldly people often show more determination in chasing wealth and power than believers show in seeking eternal life. The steward gave up short-term gain to secure his future. Can we, the disciples of Christ, not show the same determination in securing eternal life?

That is why Jesus instructs us: use wealth – not to hoard it, not to idolize it, but to use it – to “make friends” through generosity, charity, and justice. Then, when this life passes away, we will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. Exegetes even suggest that the steward may not have cancelled his master’s debts at all, but simply cut away his own exorbitant commission. He gave up selfish gain for a greater good. And this is precisely the challenge to every disciple: to use what we have, not for greed or self-interest, but for God’s kingdom. Finally, Jesus concludes with words that pierce the heart: “You cannot serve God and wealth”. Wealth can be a useful servant, but it is always a dangerous master. And so the choice is clear, and it is unavoidable: who will you serve – God or mammon?

Beloved in Christ, this message speaks powerfully to us here in Ghana. Think of the businessman who uses part of his profits to provide scholarships for needy children. Think of the farmer who shares part of his harvest with hungry neighbours rather than selling it all for the highest price. Think of the market woman who sets aside a portion of her earnings to support the Church or to care for an orphan. These are examples of using wealth shrewdly for eternal purposes. Imagine if every one of us treated our resources as tools for building God’s kingdom. Imagine the transformation – in our families, in our communities, and across our nation.

Lessons from the Readings

My dear People of God, the Word of God today leaves us with three clear lessons for our journey of faith. First, we are called to live justly, for the Lord does not ignore injustice, and the way we treat others – especially the poor and vulnerable – matters eternally. Second, we are called to pray for all, for our leaders and even for those we may disagree with, because God’s mercy is wider than our divisions. Third, we are called to use wealth wisely – not to hoard it or idolize it, but to invest it shrewdly in acts of charity and justice, so that it builds treasures in heaven.

These three – justice, prayer, and wise stewardship – are the daily choices that shape our eternal future. So, beloved in Christ, let us live justly, let us pray faithfully, and let us act shrewdly for heaven. And if we do, then when our earthly journey is complete, we shall be welcomed with joy into the eternal home prepared for all who serve God with faith and love.