Sermon thoughts- 8th Sunday in Ordinary time- A – Mt 6, 24-34

The following joke is known for many of us.
A man comes to the Pastor with the wish to baptize his dog.
The Pastor replied: “That's impossible.”
Then the man said: “Pastor, my dog is like a family member and he makes a bow (of reverence) when he pass the church. In addition, I also put 10,000 euros for the sunday collection.”
The Pastor thought for a moment and said:
“Well, if the dog is so devout and a “christian”, then it's okay:
But please keep it as secret.”
The dog was baptized, but the man must of course tell this everyone.
The Bishop also learns this news and rang the Pastor:
“Brother, are you mad, to baptize a dog?”
The Pastor explained everything with calmness and said:
“His Excellency,
the dog is so devout. He makes a bow to the most holy sacrament, when he pass the church. In addition to that, the man has given 10000 Euro for the sunday collection”.
Immediately came the question from the Bishop:
“And when is the Confirmation?”...

It is just a peace of humor and has got no personal reference:
But I wanted to say that we humans have certain inclination towards money. Of course, some bishops, priests and nuns have this tendency - they are also human beings.
But they are not an exception; there are also politicians, businessmen and many others who have this weakness...

Money is not bad in itself. We need it for our life. We need it to support others. We need it for our well-being.
If wealth is so good, why Jesus says, “You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Mammon means money and has Aramaic, Latin and Greek origin.)
For this reason, many of us may wonder and ask:
Is Jesus warning us against the money and wealth?


--Thomas Kalathil
Sermon thoughts- 8th Sunday in Ordinary time- A – Mt 6, 24-34