Saturday of the thirty-first week in ordinary time.

I never thought that my hands would consume more alcohol than my throat in my entire life. But I guess that's what I have learned about the CORONA-VIRUS DISEASE 2019.

HAVE FRIENDS WHO FORCE YOU TO LEVEL UP!

"And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by how you use worldly wealth so that when it runs out, you will be welcomed into the eternal homes."

And here, Christ talks about mammon, which can give a broader sense and meaning, or nothing at all. By "mammon" are designed riches, wealth, and substance; and is called "mammon of unrighteousness," because such wealth is often unrighteous detained, and is not made use of to the right and good purposes by the owners of it. Or because, generally speaking, it is possessed by unrighteous men; and, for the most part, used in an unrighteous manner, in luxury, pride, and intemperance, or it may be rendered "mammon of hurt," or "hurtful mammon;" as it often is to those who are over-anxious and desirous of it, or other disuse or misuse of it: or, as best of all, "mammon of falsehood," or "deceitful mammon;" for worldly riches are empty and fallacious; perhaps, these may be called fallacious as you would remember in your logic, especially when they do NO better to other persons, not raising others to be at a better standard. Using others as stepping stones for one's own success and own good.

Maybe in the same manner as Jesus called Zacchaeus (Mthombeni) and Matthew one of his disciples as friends, Christ now speaks to us, sinners, speaks to us tax collectors or publicans who would later become his followers by doing His will, and whom he advises, as the highest piece of wisdom and prudence. Maybe if we started befriending the saints, we would know that this is not employing wealth but of service.

But all wealth of this world seemingly appears to be unrighteous, and by this, the wealth itself, not the possessor, is meant.

1. Wealth deceives the owner into believing that it is his.

2. It strongly tempts him to trust in riches.

3. "In making a man depend on them for happiness, riches rob him of salvation and the glory of God."

4. It estranges him from earthly friends. It surrounds him with false friends.

6. Wealth promises much and delivers nothing. Hence a man believes that when he dies, he dies with all his riches. "For when they die, they take nothing with them. Their wealth will not follow them into the grave. (Ps 49:17). Perhaps, we have lost our vocation through all these; hence, we cannot be trusted and faithful in tiny things because we would rather, even in parishes, befriend people who have BENJAMIN (MONEY) rather than those who have prayers. St Paul, in the first reading, talks and alludes to this as he shows and expresses his gratitude, "I have received full payment, and more, I am filled, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus".

There are people you would not allow to dish first before you, at least they finish everything, simply because they are not faithful with little things. "If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's (your friend's) (your neighbor's) who will give you that which is yours"?

The rich man in absentia—the heavenly Father. The unrighteous steward—the scribes and Pharisees. (That is me). The day of accounting—the first advent of Christ. The lowering of the bills—the corruption of God's law by the religious leaders.

"No servant can serve two masters, either he would favor one, and or hate the other." There's a book entitled Serving Two Masters by Elizabeth W. Sommer; it cost about R1, 319.59. Pedagogically, it gives the real idea of what happens when a servant serves a mammon and God at the same time. That he digs his own grave with him aware of his actions. Perhaps, some of us, when looking at other brothers in the eye, we are convinced that priesthood is not for them, is for me, I am called, but they called themselves. Some priests think likewise that other priests are more equal than others, which sounds like the seventh commandment in the book Animal Farm, by George Orwell, that some animals are more equal than others, as Squealer and Napoleon had believed.

Maybe we are not successful because we want to be someone else and not ourselves. We want to do what others do; we fail to nurture what we have. Let's just be ourselves once in our lives and see what wrong we would do.

Even in the priesthood, God calls us to do what we can, with what we have, and start where we are. God does not ask us to do the impossible, but to play the minor role that we can, and as the chorister like MOLAOA would sing, "be bright in the corner where you are."

As we move towards the exam period, maybe we should pray Ps 130:3-4, which reads, "If you O, Lord should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand." Perhaps divert a little bit, and say, "If you O, Lord should mark our exams, Lord, who could fail.

A wise man, after speaking, he went and set down.