It can be quite astonishing, and maybe even amusing, as we think about what people quarrel and even fight over.
And one of the things that people quarrel about is over money.
It may be in the division of inheritance, about who foots the bill, about being paid less, etc.
But in the gospel, Jesus tells us to use money, tainted as it is, to win friends.
Practically, it means that if money can solve a problem, then use that money to solve it, instead of quarreling and fighting over it.
But of course, the burning question is that why should we be the ones to come out with the money when all should bear it and be fair and square.
In the 1st reading, St. Paul offers a noble view of using money, whether it is to solve problems or to help others.
He told the Philippians that they were the only ones who helped him with gifts of money.
But it was not so much the value or how much money they gave, but their generosity and that God accepts and finds it pleasing.
So whether we use money to solve problems or to help others, let us see it as an offering to God who in turn will bless us abundantly.