Today’s Sermon in a Nutshell:
In today’s gospel, Jesus explicitly state that you cannot serve two masters… You cannot serve both God and mammon.
Mammon comes from the Greek word, mammanos, which stems from a similar word in Aramaic and Hebrew, meaning money, wealth, and possessions: things of “this world” so many people focus upon. And the epitome of such a person is a sybarite.
A sybarite is one who has devoted themselves to wealth, luxury, affluence, and hedonism: placing “personal gratification” above all else.
The term originates from the notorious wealth and opulence of the ancient Greek city of Sybaris, located in southern Italy, where its inhabitants maintained a luxurious lifestyle, and anything goes morality.
Although it was invaded and sacked in 510 BC, the people of Sybaris were already destroying themselves spiritually long before that, due to their lavish indulgences. They willingly succumbed to licentious behavior, sexual promiscuity, and lacked any moral fortitude whatsoever. They were the Sodom and Gomorrah of their time.
Given all that we have, as well as the condition of our own society, we had better choose which “Master” we wish to follow…and follow, because no one can serve two masters and a choice must be made. It’s an eternal life or eternal death decision!
Fr. John
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