Mark 4:13-20
Deceitfulness of Money
13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”
1 Timothy 6:10
The Love of Money
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
Money can deceive us...It can make us further from God...Money can be an obstacle for our faith...Money can make us keep focused on everything on earth and its carnal and material things...We may lose sight of God, Jesus, and heaven if money is our priority...
When St. Paul and Jesus talked about the love of money and the deceitfulness of money, they understood (and still understand) that material desires and money desires are for the self...They realized that one can get easily become attached either to material things or to the desire to having material things, and then wanting your next or more material things...
When our thoughts are turned inward -greed, arrogance, and pride can easily creep in to our lives...These are negative thoughts and not the thoughts that are in the teachings of Jesus...
Jesus and St. Paul remind us to stay alert to materialism and be on guard against it...Instead focus on God, His Father and also trust in His Son...Focus on the love of neighbor as Jesus teaches -the your thoughts are more turned outward...
God and His Son have no material possessions... What they own or have are Truth, Love, Mercy, Forgiveness, Humbleness, and Grace...These things are eternal...These things are what is important, and are needed forever...