“Money is not a passive tool. It’s a rival god. A god called mammon. . . . If we spend the best of our energy and passion to gain wealth, it ends up owning us. When our lives are absorbed with money and what it can get us, we end yup serving it to our own demise.”- Rich Villodas
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”- Matthew 6:24 (NIV)
In Chapter 8 (“Our Money”) of The Narrow Path, Rich Villodas tells the story of the time he entered a convenience store in Queens to purchase a few items. As Rick went into the store, he passed a man asking for money. And even though Rich carried a ten-dollar bill in his wallet, he lied to the man. He told the man he had no cash on him.
After walking a block to his car, Rich dug into his pocket to take out his keys. In the process, the ten-dollar bill fell out of his pocket. The wind immediately blew it away from him. On his third attempt, he trapped the bill under his shoe. When Rich got back in his car, he pondered this thought for five seconds. Maybe God tried to blow the ten dollars to the man in front of the store.
Hence, Rich admits, he found himself pulled downward by the power of money. A power whose effects most of us feel. As a result, Rich sees money as not simply a tool but a dangerous power. A power that can enslave.
In conclusion, Rich states, Jesus defines the worship of God as an exclusive act. An interesting statement, Rich notes. Because plenty of other things exist that we can serve at the same time.
Writing in God, Christ, and Us, Dominican theologian Herbert McCabe observed:
“We all know people where lives are spent in the service of scholarship, or who are dedicated to political liberation, or who are simply head over heels in love. . . . [but] what Jesus is saying is that if you are serving money, then you cannot be serving God.”
Today’s question: When does a god called mammon function as a rival god in your life? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “The money god – still thriving”