September 28, 2025 – 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reflection by Rev. Leonard N. Peterson
Were you to ask me, I would call it “The Dream Machine.” No, it is not a car; a sleep aide for insomniacs; or an “AI” genie. It is the lottery machine that stands in many a place of business to lure you into fantasy by offering a ticket that just may net you millions. I have watched the elderly approach one with an air of desperation about them; the well-dressed businessperson with a certain shrug of disdain; and the young with the wide-eyed confidence of a seasoned game player. I even know a bishop who says he will insert a dollar a month into the gadget just for fun.
In the context of a homily, one might expect me to condemn all those folks for being somehow morally deficient for gambling or taking an unnecessary chance with money that could have been given to charity. In fact, the state of Pennsylvania makes clear that lottery betters are benefiting senior citizens, giving the government funds for social programs.
The point in all this is to weigh the supposed good against the Gospel. Particularly with this weekend’s Scriptures. A few verses ahead of the section in Paul’s letter to Timothy that we read at Mass makes the all-important distinction about the place of money in our lives. It states that “it is the love of money that causes all our problems with it. Not money itself, which could be labeled “morally neutral.” It is how we rank it in our list of valuables that makes all the difference.
The point for all of us is to acknowledge that there really is no such thing as “The Dream Machine,” for the lottery or games of chance or anything else. The gospel tells us that Jesus is very clear about His attitude toward love of money, but He also assures us that God the Father has a certain dream about each of us. As His adopted children, we each have a mansion in the Father’s kingdom custom built for us. No need to buy a ticket. That comes with Baptism. God’s dream will all come true for all of us, unless by unrepented sin we toss our ticket away.
In the meantime, we have lesser, simpler truths which I believe Jesus would approve, to help us along regarding money, here is one of those: “Money will buy you a fine dog, but only love will make him wag his tail.”
God love you and give you, His peace.
Rev. Peterson’s Reading & Gospel Summary
Reading I: Amos 6: 1a, 4-7
The prophet pronounces doom on the wealthy aristocrats of Israel. They enjoyed the pleasures that money could buy, and yet they gave no thought to the misery they had brought upon others.
Reading II: 1 Timothy 6: 11-16
Paul urges Timothy to “shun” the love of money (v. 10) and aim at godliness, faith, and love. Tell the rich to set their hopes on God, who “furnishes us with everything to enjoy.”
The Gospel: Luke 16: 19-31
Our Lord’s story depicts the lot of “the wealthy” and “the poor” first in this present life and then in the next. A similar reversal of fortunes underlies the Beatitudes. We learn that not even miracles will benefit those who are indifferent to the Scriptures.