A CHOICE WE HAVE TO MAKE

VIII SUNDAY OF THE YEAR: Mt 6:24-34

We cannot serve two masters

In this Sunday's gospel, Jesus puts before us a clear and unavoidable choice: We cannot serve two masters, so we must choose, and by doing so we refuse the other. 

There is a Bemba proverb that says: one leg on the path, the other on the grass; meaning that one tries to get the best of two worlds. Jesus does not waste time beating about the bush; instead he forces us to choose. We cannot be his disciples and at the same time put all our hearts and minds in the procure of wealth. Money and God don't go together.

After reading this passage, one wonders how some people have the boldness to preach a gospel of prosperity and wealth and how can preachers of the Gospel be counted among the richest people among a majority of poor. 

Jesus tells us very clearly that we cannot serve both God and Money. That was the proposal that Satan made to Jesus in the desert, immediately after his baptism. The answer given then by Jesus leaves no room for any doubt: "Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him" (Mt 4:10).

Put your trust in the Lord

There are people who live in constant stress, worrying about the future, and so they try to accumulate as much wealth as possible as a protection for harsh and bitter days. They have a fundamental lack of trust in the Lord and in the community where they live. In this Sunday's gospel, Jesus gives an answer to such people, with very reassuring words: Don't worry about tomorrow's upkeep! Don’t worry about your daily life! Put your trust in the Lord.

In old times, due to a strong sense of community and solidarity, people could travel with very little. Where they arrived, they would find a place to lay down and some food to eat. In old age, the family would take care and provide for the basic needs. In a way, God was providing through the care of the members of the community.

Nowadays, individualism reigns supreme. Each one for himself. Mind your own business. And what happens to the others is not my business. In spite of that, in many countries there is a well organised welfare that allows people to live without big worries about their old age. 

Maximize your profit is the rule governing the world

However, Jesus’ warning is much more relevant in these modern times than it was in the past. Now everything is counted in terms of money and valued according to the profit it generates. Everything is quantified monetarily, and everybody tries to maximize the profit. 

More than ever before, money has become a supreme value, because money means influence and power, and it means as well the ability to control and put everything else at our service. This power means dominion, exploitation and oppression. In the end, we ourselves become slaves of this merciless god which sucks not only others' blood but our own blood. While it provides luxury, robs our souls of peace. 

If we make of money our god, we will discover that it is an oppressive and false god. Profit has become the ruler of the world and is concentrating the wealth of the world in the hands of a few who trample upon the majority and transform them into slaves.