- Matthew 6:24
"Mammon" was not a pagan god. Nor was mammon in itself a negative word. It simply meant "assets" - cash, savings, investments, property - any and all possessions.
"Mammon" only took on negative connotations for Christians when people made their assets a god. "Above all else, I have to protect my assets." If we literally mean "above all else," then it is idolatry.
In this Gospel passage, Jesus raises the question of whether our assets are a god: "No servant can serve two masters ... You cannot serve God and mammon."
In other words, we can't have the same devotion to both. We can have both. But we ultimately serve one or the other. It depends on which one is our bottom line.
There is an old formula that gives us the true measure of the bottom line in our lives: "Tell me how you spend your time, your money, and your thoughts; and I'll tell you what is most important in your life."
It's the strangest thing. When we apply that formula to ourselves we often leave out the "thoughts" - the preoccupations, the consuming interests, the daydreams. They are important indicators of what we truly worship in life.
It's a good formula. Try it now. It's just between you and God. This past week ... how did you spend your time, your money, and your thoughts?
- Little Burgundy Book, Diocese of Saginaw