What Are Unrighteous Mammon?

 

Mammon is a master.

Reflection on Today’s Readings, Saturday of 31st Week in Ordinary Time, Year I, November 11th, 2023
Texts: Romans 16:3-9.16.22-27; Psalm 144:2-5,10-11; Luke 16:9-15 

Jesus Christ challenges us today to prepare for our eternal home here and now. He says, "Make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal habitations." What are unrighteous mammon? They are things of this world, which are passing away. They are wealth and possessions; those things that appear to us as essence of life but are illusions. We often feel that without them life has no meaning. We often feel unfulfilled without them. The truth is that life has meaning without them. 

Mammon are unrighteous because they have no eternal value; they will fail us, if we rely on them. The love of mammon could hinder our capacity to love God. It has intoxicating power and capacity for sin. Hence, Jesus Christ says, “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." Mammon is a master because of its controlling power.  

Mammon is not our own

Jesus Christ tells us today that mammon is to be subservient to us. We are to use them to attain eternal life. How do we use them to win eternal life? It is by using them for the good of humanity and the glory of God. Jesus Christ instructs us to be honest with them. In His words: “If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own?” Mammon is not our own, we will leave it one day and go to our eternal home.  

St. Paul, in today’s first reading, tells us where the strength to make mammon subservient comes. He says, “Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of  Jesus Christ” Jesus Christ supplies the strength to make mammon subservient to us according to Church teaching and the gospel. Hence, we are to believe and obey the Church teaching and the gospel to receive strength from Christ.  

 The memorial of St. Martin of Tours

Today is the memorial of St. Martin of Tours. He left army and became a hermit. After some years he was ordained a priest and later became Bishop of Tours. A story about him says when he was a soldier he once gave half of his military cloak to a beggar. He later had a revelation in a dream that the beggar was Jesus. Hence, he proved a man to whom mammon was subservient. “In his actions he gave an example of what a good shepherd should be. He founded other monasteries, educated the clergy, and preached the Gospel to the poor. He died in 397” (Universalis).  

Prayer 

O God, who are glorified in the Bishop Saint Martin both by his life and death, make new, we pray, the wonders of your grace in our hearts, that neither death nor life may separate us from your love. Amen  

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke