Matthew 6:24

Two Masters

No man can serve two masters. Matthew 6:24.

In the beginning of the thirteenth century, when King John was on the throne of England, there was a great stir in Italy. As you know, the Pope was very powerful in those days, and when the Emperor died his widow asked the Pope to be the guardian of her young son, Frederick, till he was old enough to reign. But one of the Emperor's generals, called Markwald, claimed that he had the right to be regent. So the Italians, who supported the Pope, and the Germans, who favored Markwald, went to war, and many battles were fought in the south of Italy.

At first the Germans gained every fight, but at last a brave Duke called Walter of Brienne came to the rescue of the Pope's party, and under him it began to defeat the Germans. The Italians hated the Germans and were determined not to have a German as regent. All the brave young men in Italy, especially the nobles, joined the army. Many saw a chance to win fame and glory in the war, and when a noble set out to join the Duke, a number of men would gather to him as his followers.

In the city of Assisi there lived at that time a rich cloth merchant who had a son called Francis. He was a happy, extravagant, kind-hearted young fellow, fond of all the pleasures of the time, but he was also very kind to the poor. These were the days of knights and tournaments. They were the days when minstrels wandered from place to place singing of warlike deeds of King Arthur and his Round Table, and of the Holy Grail. And Francis longed to go on some chivalrous enterprise, to do great deeds, and see adventures, and win glory and renown.

One day the news of the war came to Assisi, and a noble of the place set out to join Duke Walter with a little troop of men. Here was Francis' chance. He would go too; he was sure that a great future lay before him. He bought a splendid outfit of clothing and arms, but just before starting he saw that one of the band, a poor nobleman, was very badly equipped. Francis was as generous as he was ambitious, so he gave the man his own armor, and took the nobleman's poorer things himself.

At last they started. Francis felt he was really on the way to glory. Later they came near to Apulia, where Duke Walter was, and the young man hoped the Duke would knight him. But he became sick and stayed behind the others at a place called Spoleto. Here as he lay in bed one night, he seemed to hear a voice asking him where he was going. He said he was going to Apulia to be a knight. Then the voice said, “Tell me, Francis, who can benefit you most; the Lord or the servant?” “The Lord,” he replied. " Then,” said the voice, “why do you desert the Lord for the servant, and the prince for his vassal?” Thereupon Francis asked, “Lord, what do you wish me to do?” and the voice replied, “Go back to your home; there it shall be told you what you are to do.”

So Francis awoke, and in the morning he rose and went back to Assisi, leaving behind him his hopes and ambitions. Two voices were struggling in him, one bidding him go on and seek worldly success and pleasure, the other bidding him enter the service of a heavenly Master. He knew he could not do both. It was a wicked age. The rich cared far too much for pleasure and luxury and the poor were oppressed and trodden down. Francis had been dissatisfied before with the careless life he was living, and now he saw he could not serve two masters. He felt he could not serve God while he was living at home, and mixing with his old, happy, careless companions.

So Francis gave up all. He left his home and friends, and forsaking all his old ambitions he went about preaching the gospel. Some others joined him and they made themselves into an Order of Friars, called the Friars Minor, or Little Brothers, afterwards better known as Franciscans. They had no property, no clothes but what they wore, and they lived on broken scraps of food given them in charity. They had no money except what they worked for, or what was given them. Their business in life was to preach and tell everyone of God's goodness and of the need of repentance.

Yet in all his poverty and hardship St. Francis, as he was afterwards called, was full of joy and gladness, and he went on his way singing. He told his disciples to be always cheerful. “Let those who belong to the devil hang their heads we ought to be glad and rejoice in the Lord,” he said.

To everybody there comes a choice of master. You cannot serve two masters equally well. You cannot love them both alike. You may not have to choose, like St. Francis, between your home and poverty, but you must choose to which master you will give your love.

Will you choose the service of God and of your fellow-men, or will you choose the way of self-will and self-pleasing?