A Tale of Two Masters

Fr Antonio Pineda
Assistant Parish Priest

“No servant can be the slave of two masters.” Jesus tells us this in this Sunday’s Gospel. He is asking us to choose: God or money? The First Reading has a similar message. The prophet Amos talks about people who pay lip service to God on the Sabbath, but their hearts are wishing that the holy days would be over so that they can refocus their minds on getting richer, even by dishonest means. It is quite clear which master they serve.

Perhaps, you know someone who have chosen to work extra hours on a Sunday to earn more money even if it meant not being able to go to church.

Money offers comfort. God, on the other hand, offers salvation. Which reward should we pursue, the earthly or the heavenly? We cannot pursue both, for to do so would run the risk of losing both. So we must decide to serve the one true God or false idols like money.

Having to choose priorities confronts us all the time. In our busy world today, there are countless of things demanding our attention: work, family, friends, and so on. Should you watch a football match instead of going to church? Is approval from my friends more important than my obligation to God? For Christians, the answer is easy, though acting on it is often difficult: service of God must be our priority.