In today’s gospel we hear Jesus speak the famous words, “You cannot serve God and mammon.” The term mammon is an ancient one that means money, wealth, riches, possessions. Either our lives are spent knowing, loving, and serving God with heartfelt devotion or we become slaves to mammon, ultimately separating ourselves from God. Our use of things (including mammon) ought to help us to love and serve God, not to love and serve them instead of God.
Thomas Merton, a great 20th century spiritual writer and thinker, put it this way: “A life is either spiritual or not spiritual at all. No one can serve two masters. Your life is shaped by the end you live for. You are made in the image of what you desire.”
As you strive to faithfully follow Christ, how do you struggle with this challenge? What helps you to wholeheartedly love and serve God?