Commentary to the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)

Administrators only, not owners

“The earth and all it contains, the universe and its inhabitants are of the Lord (Ps 24:1). Man is a pilgrim, lives as a stranger in a world not his own. He is a wanderer who traverses the desert. He owns a lot of land as much as his feet trod. But as he steps forward then it’s not his anymore.” 

People are not owners but administrators of God’s goods. This is an often insistently repeated affirmation of the church’s fathers. We recall one, Basil. “Aren’t you a thief when you consider your own the riches of this world; riches are given to you only to administer?”

The administrator is a person who appears often in the parables of Jesus. We have one “faithful and wise” who does not act arbitrarily, but uses the goods entrusted to him according to the will of the owner. We also have another one who, in the absence of the Lord, takes advantage of his position to “make himself the owner” and getting drunk and dishonors the other servants (Lk 12:42-48).

There is the enterprising administrator, who commits himself, has the courage to risk and makes the master’s capital gain profit and one who is a slacker and a sloth. The most embarrassing one is the shrewd administrator spoken of in today’s gospel. 

The Lord puts a treasure in the hand of each person. What to do to administer it well? 

To internalize the message, we repeat: 

“Do not attach the heart to riches, even if it abounds.”

For further commentary:http://www.bibleclaret.org/celebrating-the-word-of-god