You Cannot Serve Both God and Mammon"

Todays Mass readings

The gospel reading has an insight for us in with regard to our attitude toward wealth. In the gospel reading, Jesus says to his disciples, "You cannot serve God and mammon" (Lk 16:13b). Yet while declaring the opposition of God and mammon (Lk 16:13b), Jesus surprisingly praises the dishonest steward for his prudence. Why does Jesus commend the dishonest steward? If we read the gospel passage carefully, we realize that Jesus was not commending the dishonest steward for his dishonesty. Rather, he was commended because he was prudent. This man served mammon. As a mammon server he had his priorities clear. In managing worldly resources this man exhibited extraordinary talent. He made enough friends so that when he was out of a job he would find friends. Jesus suggests that the just as this dishonest steward cared enough for his future, so should the "children of the light" (Lk 16:8b) care about their future with God. And that means "making friends with dishonest wealth (Lk 16:9).

"Making friends with dishonest wealth" does not mean becoming attached to wealth. It means the opposite. It means that we learn to manage wealth in such a way that it does not become an obstacle to our future life with God in heaven. Just as the “prudent steward” was prudent in serving mammon, so also the children of light have to be prudent in serving God in spite of the lure of wealth. When this happens, we are serving God and not mammon.

May everything we owe and all that we work for become a help for us to reach heaven and not a obstacle toward it. For as Jesus says, "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.”