Throughout the history of our salvation, from Adam and Eve, to the present, God has always asked us the same question. Do we trust in Him or in ourselves? It has been said that man has only ever had one problem; he wants to be like God.
An attachment to material goods, a love of possessions, can lead to what Jesus referred to as “serving mammon.” Mammon comes from a Greek work generally meaning material goods and possessions. When we cease to trust in God, when we rely on our own resources and possessions, then we find that we are constantly worried and anxious, full of stress about finances, careers, school, the future… the list goes on.
Jesus is not saying that money and material things are evil, but they are merely tools. It is an unnatural attachment to these tools that gets us into trouble. Money is not the root of all evil; it is the love of money that is the problem.
Creative types, artists, writers and so on, can encounter the same problems by being preoccupied with “making it,” and all the fame, notoriety, and yes, money, that goes along with that elusive goal.
But when we trust in God, when we give our lives completely over to Him, we are freed from that worldly anxiety and stress. We trust that He will give us all we need because he has promised us “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.”
Seeking the Kingdom, by obeying God’s commandments, getting to know God better through prayer, and by bringing others closer to Christ, this is how we will find true, lasting happiness.
Pax vobiscum
Peace be with you all
Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time