Not Zeus, But Still Not God
September 21, 2025 at 8:44 a.m.
Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Growing up, I used to think this Gospel was pretty straightforward. If there’s only one God, and I believe in Him, then I must not be serving anything else, right? But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized the challenge isn’t picking between Yahweh and Zeus or choosing whether to kneel before some golden statue. I already made that decision a long time ago, and I’m guessing you did too. The real battle is much more subtle. It’s the quiet, unnoticed way that good things slowly become ultimate things. We don’t consciously reject God, but little by little, something else takes center stage.
Maybe it’s your body. There’s real virtue in taking care of ourselves, our bodies are gifts, temples of the Holy Spirit. But when all our thoughts, time, energy, and emotions get consumed by it such as how we look, what we eat, how we perform, it can quietly become an idol. The same goes for our jobs, relationships, social media presence, even our ministries. Things that started as good and meaningful can begin to take over the space that belongs to God alone.
This is exactly what we hear in the first reading from Amos. The people of Israel are going through the motions, keeping the Sabbath, observing the new moon, but their hearts are somewhere else. Deep down, they’re just waiting for the religious stuff to be over so they can get back to business: manipulating scales, cheating the poor, squeezing every ounce of profit they can. Not because they hate God, but because they’ve replaced Him with something else. Something that feels more urgent, more profitable, more… real.
And honestly, isn’t that us sometimes? The Gospel today can be a little confusing. Why is the dishonest steward praised? Jesus isn’t celebrating his corruption; He is pointing out something uncomfortable: people will go to great lengths to secure worldly success. They’re clever. They’re strategic. They’re focused. What if we were that intentional about pursuing heaven? About building relationships, not for networking, but for the Kingdom? About storing up treasure that doesn’t fade?
You may not be bowing down to a statue or calling money your god, but if your thoughts, your time, your choices – your heart – are centered around something other than Jesus, then maybe it’s time for a reset. Not out of guilt, but out of desire. Because serving God doesn’t mean rejecting all the good things in life. It means putting Him first, so that everything else, our work, our relationships, even our health, finds its proper place.
So, I invite you to take this to prayer today and ask yourself: who or what has been your god recently? Where are most of your thoughts centered? What is the first thing you think about when you wake up? What is the last thing on your mind when you go to bed? If it’s not God, pray for the grace to shift that, even a good thing to a better good, and to redirect your life in a way that your only God is our God, the Lord, Creator of the universe.
And when God is on the throne of our hearts, those good things stay good.
And we stay free.
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Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Growing up, I used to think this Gospel was pretty straightforward. If there’s only one God, and I believe in Him, then I must not be serving anything else, right? But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized the challenge isn’t picking between Yahweh and Zeus or choosing whether to kneel before some golden statue. I already made that decision a long time ago, and I’m guessing you did too. The real battle is much more subtle. It’s the quiet, unnoticed way that good things slowly become ultimate things. We don’t consciously reject God, but little by little, something else takes center stage.
Maybe it’s your body. There’s real virtue in taking care of ourselves, our bodies are gifts, temples of the Holy Spirit. But when all our thoughts, time, energy, and emotions get consumed by it such as how we look, what we eat, how we perform, it can quietly become an idol. The same goes for our jobs, relationships, social media presence, even our ministries. Things that started as good and meaningful can begin to take over the space that belongs to God alone.
This is exactly what we hear in the first reading from Amos. The people of Israel are going through the motions, keeping the Sabbath, observing the new moon, but their hearts are somewhere else. Deep down, they’re just waiting for the religious stuff to be over so they can get back to business: manipulating scales, cheating the poor, squeezing every ounce of profit they can. Not because they hate God, but because they’ve replaced Him with something else. Something that feels more urgent, more profitable, more… real.
And honestly, isn’t that us sometimes? The Gospel today can be a little confusing. Why is the dishonest steward praised? Jesus isn’t celebrating his corruption; He is pointing out something uncomfortable: people will go to great lengths to secure worldly success. They’re clever. They’re strategic. They’re focused. What if we were that intentional about pursuing heaven? About building relationships, not for networking, but for the Kingdom? About storing up treasure that doesn’t fade?
You may not be bowing down to a statue or calling money your god, but if your thoughts, your time, your choices – your heart – are centered around something other than Jesus, then maybe it’s time for a reset. Not out of guilt, but out of desire. Because serving God doesn’t mean rejecting all the good things in life. It means putting Him first, so that everything else, our work, our relationships, even our health, finds its proper place.
So, I invite you to take this to prayer today and ask yourself: who or what has been your god recently? Where are most of your thoughts centered? What is the first thing you think about when you wake up? What is the last thing on your mind when you go to bed? If it’s not God, pray for the grace to shift that, even a good thing to a better good, and to redirect your life in a way that your only God is our God, the Lord, Creator of the universe.
And when God is on the throne of our hearts, those good things stay good.
And we stay free.