The daily Word of God

Friday, November 7th, 2025

Friday of week 31 in Ordinary Time

Lk 16:1-8 "I want you to render an account of your service for it is about to be terminated.'"

First Reading: Rom 15:14-21

I myself am convinced about you, my brothers and sisters,
that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge,
and able to admonish one another. But I have written to
you rather boldly in some respects to remind you, because of
the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to
the Gentiles in performing the priestly service of the Gospel
of God, so that the offering up of the Gentiles may be acceptable,
sanctified by the Holy Spirit. In Christ Jesus, then, I have
reason to boast in what pertains to God. For I will not dare
to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished
through me to lead the Gentiles to obedience by word and
deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the
Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem all the way around to
Illyricum I have finished preaching the Gospel of Christ. Thus
I aspire to proclaim the Gospel not where Christ has already
been named, so that I do not build on another’s foundation,
but as it is written:

Those who have never been told of him shall see,
and those who have never heard of him shall understand.

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 98:1, 2–3ab, 3cd–4

R./ The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.

Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm.

R./ The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.

The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness
and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel.

R./ The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.

All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands; break into song; sing praise.

R./ The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.

Gospel Reading: Lk 16:1-8

At another time Jesus told his disciples, "There was a rich man whose steward was reported to him for fraudulent service. He summoned the steward and asked him: 'What is this I hear about you? I want you to render an account of your service for it is about to be terminated.'

"The steward thought to himself: 'What am I to do now? My master will surely dismiss me. I am not strong enough to do hard work, and I am ashamed to beg. I know what I will do: I must make sure that when I am dismissed, there will be some people to welcome me into their house.'

"So he called his master's debtors one by one. He asked the first who came: 'How much do you owe my master?' The reply was: 'A hundred jars of oil.'
"The steward said: 'Here is your bill. Sit down quickly and write there fifty.' To the second he put the same question: 'How much do you owe?' The answer was: 'A thousand bushels of wheat.' Then he said: 'Take your bill and write eight hundred.'

"The master commended the dishonest steward for his astuteness. For the people of this world are more astute in dealing with their own kind than are the people of light.

There’s a scene from an old movie that has often made me think of this Gospel parable. It’s from The Godfather: Part II (1975). The film, as many know, tells the story of the head of a powerful mafia family and his struggle for control against rival families. The godfather is ruthless and strong—he defeats all his enemies.

The movie ends with the scene I always remember. The godfather sits in his vast mansion. He has destroyed all his rivals, even some of his own who betrayed him. He’s completely alone. Only his bodyguards are outside, watching over the enormous garden surrounding the house. Neither his wife nor his children have stayed by his side. Outside, in the garden, it’s autumn. The leaves fall, carried by a cold wind. The image of the godfather sitting in that chair is the image of utter loneliness. He fought with all his might. He won. But what he gained was total isolation.

This always brings to mind Jesus’ parable in today’s Gospel. The dishonest steward finds himself in a similar situation. Like the godfather, he’s in trouble—about to lose everything and end up out on the street. But unlike the godfather, he makes a different choice. Instead of resorting to violence or revenge, he uses his last chance to build relationships: “so that they may welcome me into their homes when I am dismissed.”

The unjust steward focuses on people, not possessions. He realizes that friendship, human connection, and fraternity are worth far more than money or power. He understands that relationships are the true answer to his crisis.

Jesus doesn’t praise his dishonesty or his lack of integrity—but He does praise his cleverness in finding the best way out of a desperate situation. And that way is the path of relationship, of friendship, of fraternity.

Maybe that’s also the answer to many of our own problems: to stop fighting for control, and start building bridges—because in the end, it’s not power or success that will save us, but love and friendship.

Fernando Torres, cmf

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
you have made us responsible with you
for many persons and things:
for ourselves, for other people,
for the future of this world.
May we be good stewards
of all you have entrusted to us.
Help us to use our talents wisely and well
in the service of all that is good,
always inspired by faith
and living in the love
of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Liturgy of the Word

First Reading Introduction
Paul excuses himself for interfering in the affairs of the Church of Rome, for it was not founded by him. But he will rely on the Romans for his missionary journeys to the West. He has two basic reasons for dealing with them: collegiality – for he is an apostle like the others – and his priestly ministry as evangelizer bringing the good news to all.

Gospel Introduction

Whatever the unknown context of today’s parable may have been, the central thought of Jesus’ words seems to be this: Much has been entrusted to us and we will have to give an account for it to God. We must act responsibly, keeping our goal in mind: God and our neighbor. Let us be people who try to know where we are going and what we are doing.

General Intercessions

– For the Church, that it may be a serving Church and a Church of the poor, bearing witness to God’s gratuitousness as a living parable of sharing, we pray:

– For those in positions of responsibility in politics, finances and the economy, that honesty, justice and concern for the good of all may guide their decisions and actions, we pray:

– For those who live by the work of their hands, that people may recognize their dignity and the service they render to all, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God,
in these gifts we bring before you
our toil and care,
with the aspirations and sufferings
of people far and near.
Let us always entrust to you everything
for which you have made us responsible,
not to refuse our task but to ask you to give us
the patience and the strength
with your help to bring everything to a good end.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
we are but weak and timid
and yet we know that you expect much of us.
Open our hearts to the bold Spirit
of Jesus, your Son,
that in us and through us he may bring to a good end
all you have begun in us
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Blessing

God has entrusted much to us to be thankful for: our talents, our friends and relatives, other people, even nature. Let us care for everything entrusted to us. May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.