In
our Gospel today, we have what is known as the parable of the
dishonest steward. However, to understand the full context of what is
happening it is necessary to read this parable in light of
Palestinian custom, whereby the function of the steward was to work
on behalf of his master and, as a result of doing so, would be paid a
commission for his work.
When the steward, however, calls all those who owe his master, he tells them to write a new promissory note with the debt owed to the master without his commission charge. In other words, what, ultimately mattered to him, at that moment, was not the money he would make, but, rather, to make sure that the master’s accounts were settled.
He recognized that, given the choice between money or his master, he chose to serve his master in spite of the fact that he was being let go. That is why the Gospel ends with a reminder for all of us as well, that, in the end: “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.”
However, this is more than just about wealth, it is about, as it says throughout the Gospel, where we put our trust. In fact, the word “Mammon,” which is typically, but oftentimes only associated with just money, actually comes from a Hebrew root that means, “to entrust,” so that this mammon becomes that in which we place all of our trust, in other words, it becomes an idol that replaces God Himself.
In fact, it is said that: “You can tell the size of your God by looking at the size of your worry list. The longer your list, the smaller your God.”And, while God does not shrink, as it were, what happens is that the more our trust is divided, the more our priorities change, and, as a result, God falls out of the list of priorities and becomes secondary, tertiary, or even last to that which has consumed us to the point of worry.
So that, as Jesus says, we literally find ourselves trying to serve two Masters, that which causes us this anxiety and worry and God, who wants to replace those worries, that anxiety, if only we would, indeed, let go of that idol, whatever it may be.
Because, ultimately, anything that seeks to take us away from God becomes mammon in our lives. And, the more we place our trust in that, no matter what it is, the further away we will find ourselves from God.
The author Sheldon Vanauken, in his book A Severe Mercy demonstrates this well. For, he recounts how he and his wife bought a brand new sports car, shiny, sleek, fast and perfect in every way. However, when they got it home, they took an axe and put a few dents in the hood, and, as strange as that may sound, the purpose was to free themselves from the worry and anxiety that would have come from idolizing it.And, while, indeed, it is an extreme example, it reminds us of the importance of always questioning where our priorities truly lie and, where God is found among those priorities, but, also, and more importantly, it forces us to let go of those things that might become a source of worry and shows us how to place our trust in something much more valuable, that is, as Jesus put it, eternal dwellings, in other words, Heaven.
Because, the more we put our trust in God, the more the things of the world become less appealing, and our desires change, so then what we want are those things that can last, those things that will not rip, rust, break, or deteriorate, but those things that will fill our soul, those things that will have us longing for Heaven.
Because, the true wealth that we seek cannot be found here, not matter how hard we try, true wealth is not something we hold in our hands, but something much more, true wealth is found in that confessional, it is found upon that altar in the Most Holy Eucharist, it is found in what God has created to give us a glimpse of what He has waiting for us who are made ready by Him.
That is why, in the words of St. Josemaria Escriva, we must “Be men and women of the world, but [not] worldly men and women.” Because, when all is said and done, nothing remains, no idols will stand with us, we will only have God and no Mammon, that is why we must learn to place all of our trust in Him, to make Him our only desire, to make Him our true Master, to make Him the only God we will ever need in this world so that we can be happy with Him in the next.
When the steward, however, calls all those who owe his master, he tells them to write a new promissory note with the debt owed to the master without his commission charge. In other words, what, ultimately mattered to him, at that moment, was not the money he would make, but, rather, to make sure that the master’s accounts were settled.
He recognized that, given the choice between money or his master, he chose to serve his master in spite of the fact that he was being let go. That is why the Gospel ends with a reminder for all of us as well, that, in the end: “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.”
However, this is more than just about wealth, it is about, as it says throughout the Gospel, where we put our trust. In fact, the word “Mammon,” which is typically, but oftentimes only associated with just money, actually comes from a Hebrew root that means, “to entrust,” so that this mammon becomes that in which we place all of our trust, in other words, it becomes an idol that replaces God Himself.
In fact, it is said that: “You can tell the size of your God by looking at the size of your worry list. The longer your list, the smaller your God.”And, while God does not shrink, as it were, what happens is that the more our trust is divided, the more our priorities change, and, as a result, God falls out of the list of priorities and becomes secondary, tertiary, or even last to that which has consumed us to the point of worry.
So that, as Jesus says, we literally find ourselves trying to serve two Masters, that which causes us this anxiety and worry and God, who wants to replace those worries, that anxiety, if only we would, indeed, let go of that idol, whatever it may be.
Because, ultimately, anything that seeks to take us away from God becomes mammon in our lives. And, the more we place our trust in that, no matter what it is, the further away we will find ourselves from God.
The author Sheldon Vanauken, in his book A Severe Mercy demonstrates this well. For, he recounts how he and his wife bought a brand new sports car, shiny, sleek, fast and perfect in every way. However, when they got it home, they took an axe and put a few dents in the hood, and, as strange as that may sound, the purpose was to free themselves from the worry and anxiety that would have come from idolizing it.And, while, indeed, it is an extreme example, it reminds us of the importance of always questioning where our priorities truly lie and, where God is found among those priorities, but, also, and more importantly, it forces us to let go of those things that might become a source of worry and shows us how to place our trust in something much more valuable, that is, as Jesus put it, eternal dwellings, in other words, Heaven.
Because, the more we put our trust in God, the more the things of the world become less appealing, and our desires change, so then what we want are those things that can last, those things that will not rip, rust, break, or deteriorate, but those things that will fill our soul, those things that will have us longing for Heaven.
Because, the true wealth that we seek cannot be found here, not matter how hard we try, true wealth is not something we hold in our hands, but something much more, true wealth is found in that confessional, it is found upon that altar in the Most Holy Eucharist, it is found in what God has created to give us a glimpse of what He has waiting for us who are made ready by Him.
That is why, in the words of St. Josemaria Escriva, we must “Be men and women of the world, but [not] worldly men and women.” Because, when all is said and done, nothing remains, no idols will stand with us, we will only have God and no Mammon, that is why we must learn to place all of our trust in Him, to make Him our only desire, to make Him our true Master, to make Him the only God we will ever need in this world so that we can be happy with Him in the next.
Add a comment