God or Mammon

St. Agnes Catholic Church
September 21, 2025
25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Short form of the Gospel)

In the classic musical Fiddler on the Roof, the main character, a poor milkman named Tevye has a disagreement with his future son-in-law, Perchik.  Perchik, who is a Marxist, exclaims, “Money is the world’s curse!” To which Tevye replies, “Money a curse? Might I be afflicted and never recover."  Later in the musical, Tevye sings the song, “If I Were a Rich Man” in which he fantasizes about how different his life would be if he were wealthy. 

Most of us have indulged in this same fantasy, playing the parlor game of “what would I do if won the lottery?”  Whether rich or poor, most people think their lives would be better with more money.  We do not live in a poor Ukrainian village of Jews in 1905, in constant danger of a pogrom, like the characters of Fiddler.  No, we live in the richest country in the world.  In fact, the United States is the richest country in human history.  Yet we feel anxiety about money. 

Americans look to wealth to relieve our anxiety.  We speak of success when we have earned money, security when we have a lot in our bank accounts, and comfort when we are surrounded by possessions and able to buy whatever we want. In my wallet, I have a credit card that is named Chase “Freedom,” and under the word freedom is “unlimited.” The message is that money gives freedom without limitations.  

These ideas are dangerous delusions.  When money becomes our security and our measure of success, we have stopped having faith in God and have instead put our faith in Mammon.  

Mammon is an Aramaic word for wealth.  Since the New Testament is written in Greek, Jesus’ use of this word is notable. He says:

“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."

Calling Mammon a master personifies the concept of wealth, and casts money as a slave master.  Medieval Christians turned Mammon into one of the principal demons of Hell.  

The Bible frequently cautions against the dangers of Mammon.  In the 1st letter of Timothy, there is the instruction to be content if we have food and clothing, not desiring more than we need.  For just as we came naked into the world, we will not bring anything with us when we die.  Paul then famously writes the following: 

“For the love of money is the root of all evils, and some people in their desire for it have strayed from the faith and have pierced themselves with many pains” (1 Tim 6:10).  Note that Paul does NOT say that “money is the root of all evil,” as is frequently misquoted but the love of money.  Money in itself can be very good: it is a resource that comes from God in partnership with the work of human labor, and provides human beings with good things that we need. It is wealth and the love of money that comes in for harsh criticism.    

Why is the Bible so critical of wealth?  For this reason: money can blind us to the reality that all good things come from God.  And that all things ultimately belong to God.  

Money can blind us to the needs of the poor around us, making us believe that our own entertainment, comfort, and pleasure are more important than the basic human needs of those with nothing.  In the first reading, the prophet Amos is especially harsh towards all those who neglect or exploit the poor.  He says, “Hear this, you who trample upon the needy and destroy the poor of the land! … The LORD has sworn…:Never will I forget a thing they have done!”  

St. Basil the Great, a Church Father who lived in the 4th century, delivered a very challenging sermon during a drought.  He said, “When someone steals another's clothes, we call them a thief. Should we not give the same name to one who could clothe the naked and does not? The bread in your cupboard belongs to the hungry; the coat unused in your closet belongs to the one who needs it; the shoes rotting in your closet belong to the one who has no shoes; the money which you hoard up belongs to the poor.”

So how should we respond to Jesus’ difficult words about money?  The Christian tradition gives two options: first, join a religious community like the Passionists, give up all your money, share everything in common and take a vow of voluntary poverty. This option is deeply rooted in Scripture, and the two-thousand-year witness of men and women of faith shows that it is possible. Still, it is difficult ask for most lay people.  

The second option is called Christian simplicity.  Christian simplicity is a practice of letting go of excess in all areas of life including money, possessions, time, and even food.  This discipline means asking ourselves, “What can I live without?” And doing that.  The 20th century lay woman Dorothy Day, who is on the path to sainthood, embodied the path of living simply and in solidarity with the poor.  

Embracing minimalism is the outward dimension of Christian simplicity.  But there is an internal element, as well, an inner discipline and a grace from God that allows us to remove fakeness and artificiality from our selves.  As the old Shaker song goes, “tis a gift to be simple, tis a gift to be free.”  True freedom comes not from a credit card, but from rejecting Mammon and serving and trusting in God.   

I will close by offering a prayer for simplicity:

Heavenly Father, you are the provider of food, outfitter of lilies, and painter of sunsets. You offer us joy in the simplicity of your creation, and peace in your presence. Protect us from the allure of abundance. Help us find contentment, not in things, but in our relationship with you. Draw our attention to those who are in need and move us to serve them. Give us today our daily bread and help us to be thankful for it. Amen.