By PETER AWUA
“Money is sweet, money is good, but the love of money is evil.”
These were the words of Rev. Fr. Bitrus Raphael to the congregation of Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, Kabong, during the last Sunday sermon.
The sermon, themed, ‘Be master of your money, not the slave of your money’, was taken from the book of Amos 8:4-7, where the Lord God warns those who exploit the poor for material gains of His judgmental visitation.
Fr. Raphael explained that being master of one’s money was reflected in generosity towards others, which he described as an extension of God’s love to humanity and the essence of the Christian faith.
He warned that when money becomes a master, it takes control of the mind, making people vulnerable to evil practices such as scamming, looting, stealing and cheating, all in the bid to amass wealth.
According to him, “When we overcharge, use false measures and tamper with the scales to cheat our customers for the purpose of making more money, then we are ironically cheating ourselves. The measure we use for others, that same measure will be used for us.”
While stressing the importance of money to society, the cleric observed that though money is a solution to many human problems, the process of acquiring it must be done with honesty in order to attract God’s blessings.
He reminded the faithful that human existence was temporary, warning that no matter the wealth one acquired, it would all be left behind.
“We came into the world with nothing, and we will definitely return with nothing,” he pointed out.
To Christians worldwide, Fr. Raphael admonished the use of earthly riches to secure heavenly treasures through acts of charity to the poor, the needy, and the destitute.
He concluded by recalling the Biblical warning: “What will a man gain if he wins the whole world but ruins his heavenly rewards?”