7. Humans And Wealth

I have a friend who always works hard and takes care of the family. After a few decades of saving, he now has a house, means of transportation, full pension to rest and enjoy life, to compensate for the whole life of hard work as a young man. In this excerpt reading from the Good News, Jesus told the rich young man how to enter the kingdom of heaven: “Go and sell your possessions, give it all to the poor, and then come follow me.” (Mt 19:21).

The Lord’s words were completely clear and specific. Follow you, a homeless man! “Foxes have dens, birds have nests, the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (Lk 9:58), often without a bed to lie on, and with no relatives. No way! The young man left when he heard the unreasonable words.

Jesus said to his disciples: “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God” (Mt 19:24). And the disciples thought: No way! Whoever can make it!

Living up to the Gospel is so difficult, even almost impossible … Is it true?

I. THE OLD TESTAMENT AND ATTITUDE TO WEALTH

We can easily recognize that there is a difference in the concept of wealth and poverty, or rather a cognitive process, depending on the prevailing mentality of the time. We cannot say that the Old Testament writers’ teachings to their contemporaries hundreds and thousands of years ago, the New Testament teachings and current Church teachings today, 2000 years AD, are exactly the same.

Slavery, for example. The North-South American War to free black people trafficked from Africa as slaves ended in 1865. Fundamentally the world viewed slavery as inhumane cruelty, impossible accepted in human society, only in the last 155 years. Before that, people still considered slavery as normal and legal. Judgment on things as right or wrong must be based on historical point of view.

So, what did the Old Testament say about the concept of wealth and poverty?

1) Wealth is a blessing from God:

We can see throughout the Old Testament, a blessing that God rewarded to the individual and to the Israelites as a wealth of material goods: prosperity went with faithful worship of God; on the contrary, disloyalty and alienation from Him went with calamities such as hardship, poverty, lost country, slavery to foreigners. The ancient Jews believed that wealth means a lot of children and grandchildren, many servants, many animals, fertile land fields and longevity. Those are signs of God’s blessing. Patriarch Abraham was a righteous man who was graciously given a lineage of descendants as crowded as stars in the sky, many servants, endless land fields, and countless cattle. He lived to be 175 years old. The book of Proverbs also affirms: “It is the blessing of the Lord that makes me rich” (Pr 10:22).

2) Poverty is God’s punishment or test.

After eating the forbidden fruit in the garden of Eden, disobeying God’s command, from a happy and prosperous life, Adam and Eve fell into poverty and misery: “Cursed is the land because of you; In toil you shall eat its yield all the days of your life. Thorns and thistles it shall bear for you, and you shall eat the grass of the field. You will have to sweat from your forehead to eat bread” (Gen 3:17-19).

The Book of Job sees poverty as a test sent by God. Satan said to the Lord: “Put forth your hand and touch all that he (Job) has, and surely he will curse you to your face” (Job 1:11).

With God’s permission, Satan tormented Job, causing him to develop malignant boils from his feet to his head. He sat among the ashes and scratched the body with a piece of earthenware. Then his wife said, “Are you still steadfast in your path of integrity? Curse God and die.” But Job replied, “You also spoke like a madwoman. We receive good from God, but do not know how to accept evil? (G 2:7-10). After the above test, Job remained faithful to God.

“So the Lord restored Job’s possessions. The Lord doubled what he had before” (G 42:10).

3) Wealth or poverty are both temporary. The wealthy must offer alms.

The Old Testament exalts knowledge and wisdom over wealth, “If you compare riches with wisdom, I count riches as nothing” (Ws 7:7-11). King Solomon asked God for wisdom, and God gave him the riches that came with it. He felt the passing and false vanity of matter, which may disappear anytime; especially when we die, there is nothing left: “Naked I came forth from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I go back there” (Job 1:21).

The Old Testament advises people not to earn money unjustly: “Do not rob the poor because they are poor, nor crush the needy at the gate; For the LORD will defend their cause, and will plunder those who plunder them” (Pr 22:22-23). On the contrary, they must give alms to the needy: “Whoever gives to the poor will never be in need.” (Pr 28:27) and “The righteous are concerned with the welfare of the poor, which the wicked cannot understand” (Pr 29:7). Therefore, the book of Proverbs says: “Let me not be poor, nor make me rich; Just give me the bread I need, lest I get too much, and I will refuse You and say: Who is the Lord? Or if I am poor, I become a thief, and dishonor the name of my God” (Pr 30:8-9).

The Old Testament placed material wealth into its own value. If the Old Testament viewed prosperity as a sign of God’s blessing, in the New Testament material possessions seem to be unhappiness: “Woe to you who are rich” (Lk 6:24)

II. THE NEW TESTAMENT AND POVERTY

Today’s society is no different from that of the Jews’ in Jesus’ time.

1) Power of money

Money has a great influential power in all areas of society. “Money can buy everything”. From justice, replacing truths with lies, high social status, love, to spiritual profits like taking advantage of gods. Money is the unit of measurement, the ultimate reality, which rules everything.

Money usurped the throne, becoming the equal master opponent to God. Jesus also sensed the almost uneliminated status of the throneless king and taught his disciples: “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate one and love the other, or will stick to one master and despise another. You cannot serve both God and money” (Mt 6:24).

Jesus himself was tempted by the devil with the world’s wealth and money in the wilderness: “The devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of the world. the fruits of those nations, and said, “All these things will I give you, if you will bow down and worship me.” (Mt 4:9).

Money is truly unmatched, dominates and enslaves people. The greed for money is firmly attached to people, and hard to get rid of: “Where your wealth is, there your heart will also be” (Mt 6:21).

2) Money corrupts people

• Greed:

Saint Paul wrote in his first letter to Timothy: “For the love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Ti 6:10). Greed for wealth makes the mind blind, thereby causing many crimes.

The court records show many crimes caused by greed for wealth: fraud, betrayal, robbery, murder … Judas Iscariot also sold his master for 30 silver coins due to the greed of wealth.

• Selfishness, unsympathetic hearts, unsharing attitudes.

The Gospel told the story of poor Lazarus and the rich man. The rich and happy life of the rich man lived next to poor Lazarus, who picked up every piece of bread and ate it. When they both died, Lazarus was happy in the bosom of his father Abraham; but the rich suffer hardships, hunger and thirst in the burning fire of hell. The rich man is not punished because of his wealth, but because of his indifference to the poverty of others, his selfishness, and his unsharing attitude to the poor next to him. The rich young man we mentioned earlier is famous for Jesus’ controversial statement: “It is as difficult for a rich man to get into heaven as for a camel to go through the eye of a needle” (Mt 19,24). He claims to have kept the commandments since childhood, but he lied to himself when he did not dare to share money and material things with others generously, as Saint John affirms: “If anyone says love God, and does not love his brother, he is a liar” (1 Jn 4:20).

• Self-overestimation, self-overconfidence, arrogance:

In his first letter to Timothy, chapter 6, verses 17-19, Saint Paul warned: “Command those who are rich in this world not to be conceited, nor to put their hope in temporary wealth, but in God, who provides abundantly with all things for our enjoyment” and “They must do good and become rich in good works, must live generously, be willing to share. Thus they accumulate for themselves a solid capital for the future, in order to lead a real life.”

• Dissolute chaotic life:

Our ancestors correctly warned their children and grandchildren that too affluent a life led to a lustful life. Confucius, a righteous gentleman, said: “the wealthy should not be lustful, and the poor should not be changeable”. It means that the rich should not become dissolute and the poor should not become bad people. When people have abundant food, they tend to eat excessively without restraint of their instincts.

The parable of the “prodigal son” in the Gospel: because of the greed for money, the younger son rejected even his beloved father, asked for his share of heritage, and went away. With the money, he slept with prostitutes and had wild parties.

• Hypocrisy, deception, love for the appearance:

Our ancestors used to say, “ritual courtesy arises out of wealth”. If you are rich, formal rituals arise. We don’t think the appearance is bad, but the love for it is not good. Many people seem to be luxurious on the outside, but on the inside they are empty, deceitful, and double-minded. Many people do charity to polish themselves, and in fact they only give what is superfluous, or lie to themselves with the charity for others. The true sharing is to sacrifice oneself.

There are many more harmful effects of money on life. But that list suffices to show us why Jesus was so allergic to worldly wealth. In his discourse on the Beatitudes as a proclamation of the kingdom, the first thing He said was the spirit of poverty: “Blessed are the poor in heart, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:3). He asked his disciples to have a definitive attitude of abandonment: “Whoever has put his hand to the plow and looks back is not worthy of the kingdom of God” (Lk 9:62).

3) Virtue of poverty and religious life

• Jesus’ example of poverty:

The life of Jesus is an example for his disciples to live a life of poverty. Too much has been said about His poverty. We only mention here the outstanding poverty, which no one can do, as Saint Paul said: “Though he was in the form of God, Jesus did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance” (Phil 2:6-7).

Or at the beginning of John’s Gospel, “Through the Word all things were made, and without him nothing was made” (John 1:3). From the poor nativity scene, to the sacrifice of being crucified naked, he became truly poor.

The most bitter aspect of poverty is losing all sympathy, becoming alone. “The world came into being through him, but did not know him” (Jn 1:10). He foresaw everything and accepted it. Jesus was truly poor when he had nothing left. His body was torn; his reputation as the Messiah was slandered and humiliated. Hailed by all the people just a week before, He was now a sinner. “If this man had not done evil, we would not have handed him over to you” (Jn. 18, 30). The disciples stayed away, afraid of being implicated, and all left except very few people. What could be more bitter when even the Father seemed to abandon Him “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani! My God, my God, why have You abandoned me?” (Mark 15, 34).

• The religious: those chosen by Jesus:

From the very beginning, Jesus’ disciples had to give up their own will, the most important thing in life, free choice. “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit” (John 15:16).

Poverty is the top criterion. Abandoning everything: parents, wife and children, fields and possessions… Peter said to the Lord: “Look, we have given up everything and followed you” (Mk 10:28).

True monks are the freest people, when they have nothing to lose, including their bodies. Nothing can force them anymore, “Whoever loves his life loses it” (John 12:25) and they are free to do what they want.

Saint Paul says, “I consider everything as garbage when Christ is present” (P1 3:8), For the disciple, only Christ is enough. Garbage is something that must be thrown away; no one keeps trash anymore.

III. VALUES OF MATERIAL GOODS

1) God is a very rich boss.

In both the Old and New Testaments God was seen as the source of wealth. Whatever he wanted, it was up to him. In Genesis, God created everything out of nothing, and entrusted man with the right to manage and use them. Then in Kings: kingship and wealth came from him. The Book of Job said that material possessions were given by God: “The Lord has given, and the Lord has taken away” (Job 1:20). The New Testament holds the same view. Jesus described the Father in parables through the image of a rich, independent, and all-powerful master.

Just like the parable of the prodigal son, the father is a rich master who divides his heritage at his son’s request, and lets him free to spend it. Jesus also spoke of the incomparable riches of God and taught his disciples to believe in providence: the robes of the richest king in the world, Solomon, were not as beautiful as the lilies in the field, which remain only for a short time. God created the nature extremely beautiful, rich but also generous.

Let’s think and see: plants and fruits, water, air, sunlight, endless resources in the sea, underground … and who are they for? He also gives us wonderful tools to use them.

• Beauty, magical shimmering colors have no value, if there are no eyes to see.
• The melodious sounds are nothing without the ears to enjoy.
• Grass and flower fragrance or the sweet fruity taste is also in vain if there is no nose to smell and no tongue to taste.
• We also cannot see the softness and gentleness of the gentle breeze without the subtlety of touch.
• And above all is a sophisticated brain that synthesizes, feels and evaluates.

Only man is God’s true friend, because only man can satisfy the above conditions, while all other things cannot. Perhaps man is the only creature for God to “show off” his wonderful creation.

2) Real value of possessions:

• Our belongings are precious, but human dignity is more precious:

Even though nature has its splendor, it is nothing compared with human values. Jesus himself confirmed this when he said: “Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they?” (Mt 6:26) In another passage: “You are more valuable than many sparrows” (Mt 10:31).

Material wealth, no matter how powerful it is, is not equal to human life; it is only a lowly creature in the eyes of God. So why honor it as a master to worship, and become its servant, or even consider it more important than God. What’s more stupid?

• Realize true values: Kingdom of Heaven takes priority, because money is temporary.

The Gospel told this story: (Luke 12:16-21) “There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ And he said, ‘This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!” But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’ Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God.”

The Old Testament considered wealth as dispersing quick clouds. In the New Testament, Jesus put wealth into its right place. “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides” (Mt 6:33).

He also warned us to be very careful in front of the poisoned glory that drives us to make wrong choices, to get away from the true love which is God, and to lose the essential salvation.

• Proper use of money:

A proverb says, “Wealth is a bad master and a good servant”.

• Save, don’t waste:

In the desert, God fed the Israelites abundantly, day after day, with manna, but He also ordered them not to take more than needed. Jesus performed the miracle of bread multiplication to feed thousands of people. He also told his disciples to collect the crumbs afterwards to avoid wasting.

We should do the same, but not be stingy. Skimping is the attitude of mean persons who overvalue perishable material things, and do not have trust in God’s providence who always takes care of our lives. They are not generous and tolerant enough to share and give away. Nor should we waste our God-given wealth, without realizing how many hungry people around us are in need of food. Nature should be exploited in sufficient levels and be regenerated so that natural resources are not wasted for the next generation.

• Generosity and sharing:

One law is the circulation of wealth. Only circulated wealth is profitable. It is like water or like food in the body, if it stays in, it will cause harm. Giving is thought to be a loss, but on the contrary, the gain is more. “It is in giving that we receive” (Peace Prayer by St Francis). Life is not just bread and money: “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God” (Mt 4:4) but the word of God is living. The Word gives true eternal life.

• Use your money for the right purpose, at the right time, at the right place:

We do not despise the wealth God gives us so that we can live and live as richly as He wants, but we should know how to use it properly, at the right time, in the right place. The wealth God gives is not only to help the poor as a duty: “The poor you will always have with you” (Mk 14:7), but there are many other things: churches, hospitals, schools… and countless other big and small things that need our contribution to improve life and serve the common good.

Money often makes us unproductive and illusory, not realizing what is worth doing. In the gospel of Matthew: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me” “Truly I tell you, whatever you did to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me” (Mt 25:35-45).

Not many of us can see God in the form of poor homeless people, but many are eager to congratulate powerful people of high social status.

• Wealth and justice:

Our wealth must be clean money, not from dirty sources: corruption, bribery, fraudulent trading … For many people, wealth comes from illegal business and exploitation of others: “Oppressing the poor for enrichment, giving to the rich: both are sheer loss” (Pr 22:16).

Justice requires reparation. Mr. Zacchaeus was a rich tax collector. After recognizing the true value of money, he volunteered to make reparation: ““Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house” (Luke 19:8-9).

• Simple and leisurely life:

“Accept that you have had enough, then it is enough.” Like in the book of Proverbs: “Give me neither poverty nor riches; provide me only with the food I need” (Pr 30:8).

In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us, “Give us our daily bread,” which is in this meaning.

Conclusion:

The Gospel never promotes poverty nor disparages those who are rich in material goods. So does the Church of Jesus. The Church makes unremitting efforts to promote the poor’s plight and establish social justice. (See Catholic social doctrine, guide to social life).

The Church instructs people to use material possessions as a necessary and right means to achieve the ultimate goal of salvation for themselves and for others.

Ever since, maybe because of extreme sentimental religiosity, many of us have been very allergic to wealth, seeing it as being on the same side as the evil world, and at the same time respecting poverty as an admirable virtue.

Clearly, that goes against nature and gospel teaching. Advancing the society, protecting and enhancing human dignity, have always been the primary goal of the church of Jesus. If poverty is a virtue, why fight injustice and help the needy?

St. Paul said, “For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that for your sake he became poor although he was rich, so that by his poverty you might become rich” (2 Cor 8, 9).

Putting material goods back to its value and appreciating the voluntary poverty of disciples, and following the example of Jesus, as Saint Paul said above, are the teaching of the Gospel. Practicing Christianism is very healthy, very natural, and no difficult…”

There is nothing more comforting than knowing that the Lord our Father is rich, both literally and figuratively. He is very generous and loves us and has promised us a share in His happiness, “All that is mine is yours” (Lk 15:31) as He told the elder brother in the parable Prodigal Son. It’s worth thinking about.