Jesus said to his disciples:
“The person who is trustworthy in very small matters
is also trustworthy in great ones;
and the person who is dishonest in very small matters
is also dishonest in great ones.
If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth,
who will trust you with true wealth?
If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another,
who will give you what is yours?
No servant can serve two masters.
He will either hate one and love the other,
or be devoted to one and despise the other.
You cannot serve both God and mammon.”
(Lk: 16:10-13).
In his column today in the Philippine Star, Fr. Ruben M. Tanseco, S.J. (my former teacher at the Loyola School of Theology) explains the meaning of mammon: "Riches regarded as an object of worship and greedy pursuit."
In contemporary language, the word mammon is equated with money.
And so, the Bible tells us that we cannot be disciples of Jesus if we are enslaved by love of money or material wealth.
For indeed, the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10).
Today's Gospel reading is very relevant to contemporary Philippine society, considering that 'corruption in government' is one of the burning issues of the day.
Can we trust our elected officials with our nation's wealth?
I wish and pray that our leaders, especially our government officials (from the President down to the barangay chairpersons) would heed the message of Jesus in today's Gospel reading.
Raffy
9/23/07
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