Daily Gospel Reflection
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September 21, 2025
Jesus said to his disciples:
“The person who is trustworthy in very small matters
is also trustworthy in great ones;
and the person who is dishonest in very small matters
is also dishonest in great ones.
If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth,
who will trust you with true wealth?
If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another,
who will give you what is yours?
No servant can serve two masters.
He will either hate one and love the other,
or be devoted to one and despise the other.
You cannot serve both God and mammon.”
The day after my wife and I got married, the television show Alias debuted. (It was and still is our favorite show to watch together.) While we loved many of the characters, our least favorite was Julian Sark. He was complex, ruthless, and known for his shifting allegiances. He infamously stated in one episode that “my loyalties are flexible.” This highlighted his opportunistic and selfish nature.
In a world that often rewards flexibility of conscience and shifting loyalties, the gospel calls us to something far more radical: steadfastness. Jesus’ loyalty to us is steadfast, unyielding, and uncompromising! Jesus speaks directly to us, stating that “No servant can serve two masters.” There is no room for flexibility here. It’s God or mammon. He tells us we can not serve both. It’s not a suggestion. He doesn’t say we “shouldn’t” serve both. We can not serve both. Why?
Because loyalty is not flexible, it’s immovable. If your loyalty is divided, it’s not loyalty at all. And so, if we say we serve God and not mammon, do our choices, even the smallest ones, resemble that? Loyalty is all about trust. And trust comes in small matters and when no one is watching.
Do we live under an alias—shaped by wealth, status, or fear? Or do we live at the altar—where our true name is spoken, and our loyalties are laid bare?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, may we be more prudent and wise than the dishonest steward, and use the many gifts and talents you have blessed us with to serve generously those in need and to build up your body, the Church, so that all may know the abundance of your love. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Despite his role as a despised tax collector, St. Matthew was called by Jesus to become one of his closest followers.
All tax collectors were hated in Judea because they were greedy and extortionist. Jewish tax collectors like Matthew were especially reviled because they gathered taxes for the occupying and oppressive Roman government. Jewish families generally refused to marry into a family that claimed a tax collector among them. Tax collectors were excluded from religious worship and barred from business and civil affairs.
Yet, Jesus passed by Matthew’s customs post and said to him, “Follow me.” And Matthew got up and followed him (Mt 9:9).
Matthew’s post was in Capernaum, where, for a time, Jesus had lived, preached, and worked miracles, so we can assume that Matthew had heard of Jesus and perhaps even listened to him before their encounter. Perhaps Matthew secretly longed to give his life over to the kingdom of God described by this man who worked wonders. When he finally came face to face with Jesus, he jumped at the chance—the personal invitation from Jesus must have been the opportunity Matthew was looking for. He left everything—his occupation and his relationships—in an instant.
Matthew was counted among the 12 disciples, and is traditionally cited as the author of a book of the Gospels.
The four evangelists are depicted by symbols that come from Ezekiel and the book of Revelation. John is represented by the eagle because his Gospel begins with high-minded, soaring theology of the Word made flesh. Mark is depicted by the lion because his Gospel begins with John the Baptist crying out in the wilderness (like a lion); Jesus also often appears with royal, king-like dignity in his Gospel. Luke is shown as an ox because of the importance of sacrifice in his Gospel. Matthew is symbolized by a man or angel because he begins the Gospel with the genealogy of Jesus, emphasizing his humanity.
A number of relics of St. Matthew rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica, where he is also depicted in several places. St. Matthew is also shown in this stained glass window from the chapel of the Stayer Center for Executive Education because he is patron saint of those who work with finances. This small window in the Morrissey Hall chapel (above) shows the saint as well.
St. Matthew, you were the reviled tax collector who became patron saint of those who work with finances—pray for us!