God or Mammon? The choice might seem simple, but our actions might show that we don’t always put God and others first. Brendan Gottschall, SJ, reflects on the pitfalls of chasing after money and how we might refocus ourselves on God. Based on the readings for Sunday, September 18, 2022.
We cannot serve both God and mammon, but who would serve mammon?
Hi, I’m Brendan Gottschall, and this is my One-Minute reflection.
The readings for today speak about our relationship with created goods and money in particular. They remind us that money and goods are secondary to our relationships with other people and with God.
Financial resources are a means to an end. How often can we forget that a salary or a bank account is not what really matters? Money is meant to be our servant, but when we get caught up in this world and think that money is the only measure of value, we let wealth become our master.
The prophet Amos points out that it is the poor that suffer because of the greed of those who always seek to maximize profit. This dynamic is not limited to ancient Israel. We continue to see the poor exploited for the sake of making others rich. Let’s pray for the grace to allow our possessions to better serve our relationships with God, those close to us, and the poor.
