You Cannot Serve God and Mammon"

Today's Mass Readings

In the first reading for today, Paul lists many companions of his who have aided him in spreading the Gospel. It’s easy to think about St. Paul, sometimes, as an individual on his own traveling from place to place and bringing the Gentiles to Christianity in its very early stages. At the end of his letter to the Romans, Paul identifies with the Roman community (which he has not yet met) by making connections to those in the community. The list of names is staggering. Staggering not just because of how many there are, but also because of the Gentile names, the Jewish names, the women, the men. We see that almost immediately the Good News of Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection had universal, even cosmic significance. We see also how the Church, even from its earliest days, transcended national, linguistic, class, and gender boundaries. We also get an economic picture of the early Church in the second chapter of Acts of the Apostles – “All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their property and possessions and divide them among all according to each one’s need” (2:44-5). A deep interdependence indeed!

Early Christians took seriously the tenuousness of money. In the reading from Luke’s Gospel, Jesus exhorts His disciples to keep money in its place. Notice that Jesus fully expects that money will not endure; it will not ultimately provide any measure of security, it will fail. Our security lies in God alone. Of course, this does not mean that we should be careless – exactly the opposite! Jesus knows that our smallest decisions betray our ultimate loyalties. If we profess belief in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, if we are members of Christ’s body, the Church, our financial decisions should clearly reflect that. This does not only mean giving to charities. What do we buy? How was it produced? What companies do we invest in? For, if we cannot be trusted to use our money justly, how can we be trusted with heavenly reward? As St. Benedict reminds us, every decision we make is either for or against God. Let even our use of money speak our love of God. So that we might say even with our finances, “I will praise your name for ever, Lord.”

- Tim Gabrielli