No one can serve two masters. We will either be attached to one and despise the other or be devoted to one and hate the other. We give our heart to one or the other and where our heart is, there is our treasure. We cannot serve both God and mammon. Either one or the other will be the focus of our lives and determine the direction we take.

We are called to make good use of the things of this world without becoming tainted by having used them, always remembering that things are not what are most important and are always ultimately left behind. We are called to be trustworthy in our stewardship and in our relationships so that in sharing the blessings we have received we might advance together towards God's reign.

Like Saint Paul we are called to learn the secret of finding our strength and contentment in God who empowers us so that we can gratefully live with abundance or scarcity, with being well-fed or going hungry, in luxury or in need.

We can be joyful and offer thanksgiving always and everywhere not because we have everything we want but because we want what we have -- that which is most important: the love of God in Christ Jesus.