Saturday – 31st Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel – Luke 16:9-15

The Cost of Living

Mahalo Coffee, TN

I am holding at arms’ length a coffee cup filled with water.  Now don’t jump to conclusions!  This is not about the debate about half-empty or half-full.  Actually the amount of water doesn’t matter at all.  What matters is how long I hold it outstretched!  Full or empty, after a bit of time, it will become uncomfortable; later on it will be downright painful.  That’s what happens when you hang on to something and concentrate only on that one thing.  You lose focus; you lose perspective! 

There is one phrase in today’s Gospel that really stands out for me:  “You cannot serve God and mammon.”  Mammon is literally ‘wealth’ but it’s wealth taken to the extreme, to the point where money is all that matters.  And as life goes on, it can lead to selfishness, greed, envy, dishonesty and even violence.  In and of itself, wealth is not inherently evil but it can mess up our priorities and make us forget what is truly important, what is truly life-giving.

The lesson here is about choice!  We cannot serve two masters.  Do we fool ourselves into thinking that all the little things in this world matter the most?  Or do we choose to serve God?  Do we realize that, in serving God, we place a higher value on the virtues of love, human dignity, honesty, and truthfulness?  Do we recognize that all the things in this world come from Him and that they are merely tools and not ends in themselves?  Jesus makes it abundantly clear!  You can make use of things of this world but don’t become changed or attached to them.  You can spend money, buy a home and a new car and food for the table.  But don’t become changed or compromised or consumed by the worldly values they represe

Yes, I do need that $7.50 to get my ‘grande mocha’ for the day.  9Sheesh, it used to be closer to $5.) But maybe the tip I leave for the barrista who is struggling to make ends meet speaks more of what’s really important in our lives as Christians – love of God and love of neighbor!   So drink that glass of water; but remember to let go of the cup!

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