Q. How many Mothers does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A. Just one, saying…”That’s OK…I’ll just sit here in the dark!”
I love this joke and I thought of it when meditating on today’s first reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Philippians. Particularly the line:
“I rejoice greatly in the Lord that now at last you revived your concern for me. You were, of course, concerned about me but lacked an opportunity.”
This was so my Mother (maybe it is an Italian Mother thing, I don’t know). She had this uncanny ability to use guilt to get you to do something for her. My younger brother was especially a target of this strategy since he lived close to her in New Jersey while I live in Illinois, 850 miles away. I can think of many times he had to interrupt his plans to take care of some project that my Mom needed (wanted?) to be done. And while he was at times mildly perturbed, he took care of my Mom, always. There were boat trips, car shows, dinners out with friends, motorcycle rides, etc. that he passed up when my Mom called.
I have often struggled with Luke’s gospel reading today. One cannot serve God and Mammon. Does this mean we are to give up all our wealth completely and follow God alone? Give up hobbies, friends, even our jobs so that we are free to completely focus on the Lord?
I think my brother answered that question quite well in his relationship with our Mother. He absolutely loved going out on his boat with friends and being with them and his wife on trips and just going out to local restaurants. But when the call came from Mom, he was there. These things that he had, and activities that he loved, did not prevent him from attending to, and being present FOR, Mom. His version of Mammon did not control his need to be with Mom.
I have not mentioned motorcycling in my last 2 posts or so, so it is time for me to use this hobby of mine as an example again. As I have mentioned here before, riding is a passion of mine. But it can border on an obsession. Occupying my time and thoughts sometimes ahead of my wife and at times occupying my thoughts away from time spent with God. MY Mammon CAN serve as a master during these times. And I think this is the point that Luke is making here. Mammon in of itself is not bad…when kept in proper perspective and proportion.
When the kids sports take over Sunday, when we consistently spend time watching mindless television programs rather than picking up a good Catholic book or Scriptures or go on that motorcycle ride with friends in place of spending time with your spouse doing something she was looking forward to.
These are “Mammon Moments” that can shape where our allegiances lie and can help determine the path our lives take. Paul says a couple lines later following the quote above that he has lived in humble circumstances but he has also LEARNED how to live with abundance. I never really saw that word..LEARNED…before when reading this passage. But we really do need to learn to live with abundance. When we are given much we also have to have the responsibility to manage what we are given.
Luke calls money dishonest wealth because it can create unjust attachments. But we can do great things with money. We can use this “dishonest wealth” in ways that benefit others and this is what he is referring to when he says to be trustworthy with dishonest wealth. But what is the “true wealth” that we will receive once we have proven our ability to manage what is dishonest? When we learn to use our Mammon (money, hobbies, time) for the benefit of others then the true wealth of God’s graces will be ours. And our eventual entry into His Kingdom will be assured.
So maybe the real answer to the question, “how many Mothers does it take to screw in a light bulb” should be…..”I don’t know but I will be sure to leave that light on for you when I do”.
Video Reflection on Today’s Readings
