Greed is a sickness of the heart. Pope Francis called greed “that form of attachment to money that keeps a person from generosity.”
He continued, saying, “to heal from this sickness, the monks proposed a drastic, though highly effective method: meditation on death. As much as one can accumulate goods in this world, we can be absolutely sure of one thing: they will not enter the coffin with us. We cannot take property with us! Here, the senselessness of this vice is revealed. The bond of possession we create with objects is only apparent, because we are not the masters of the world: this earth that we love is in truth not ours, and we move about it like strangers and pilgrims.”
Life is a journey, and it is very important to set our hearts on our eternal destination. St. Gregory the Great put it this way: “whatever you possess must not possess you; whatever you own must be under the power of your soul; for if your soul is overpowered by the love of this world’s goods, it will be totally at the mercy of its possessions. In other words, we make use of temporal things, but our hearts are set on what is eternal. Temporal goods help us on our way, but our desire must be for those eternal realities which are our goal.”
He also said, “be not anxious about what you have, but about what you are.”
Greed is frequently mentioned in the Scripture. Of Christ’s 38 parables in the Gospels, 16 are concerned with the handling of money and possessions. St. Paul wrote, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.” (1 Tim. 6:10)
Wealth can create a false sense of security; we can only find true security in our faith in Christ. Pope Francis called greed “an attempt to exorcise fear of death: it seeks securities that, in reality, crumble the very moment we hold them in our hand.”
We are created for God and material wealth can never satisfy us. St. Bernard used a very vivid image to describe this. “Suppose you saw a starving man inhaling great deep breaths, filling his cheeks with wind to stay his hunger; would you not call him mad? And it is just as mad to think that blowing yourself out with earthly goods can satisfy your hunger.”
Wealth can’t satisfy our hearts. St. Isidore of Seville observed: “Cupidity never knows how to be satisfied. The greedy man is always in need; the more he acquires, the more he seeks, and he is tortured not only by the desire of gaining, but by the fear of losing.”
Just as gluttony is the result of an unhealthy relationship of the heart with food, greed is the result of unhealthy relationship of the heart with material things.
“There is a vast difference between having poison and being poisoned,” said St. Francis de Sales. “Doctors have all kinds of poisons for their use, but they are not poisoned. In like manner, you may possess riches without being poisoned by them.”
St. Josemaria Escriva said, “Don’t forget it: he has much who needs least. Don’t create necessities for yourself.”
Father Joseph M. Esper said, “A conscious decision to live a simple lifestyle, making do with less and giving up expensive hobbies and entertainment, can free us of much of the worry over money that afflicts so many Americans today.”
A good way to counteract the sickness of greed is the practice of generosity. Father Esper gave the following practical advice: “perhaps the best way to tap into this joyful and generous spirit is to begin practicing the biblical standard of tithing: giving away 10 percent of your income to charity or to the support of your church, or both. Invariably, those who tithe discover that finances become less of a problem than ever before. The more they give away, the more they experience the Lord’s blessing.”
He continued, “If setting aside 10 percent of your income (after taxes) for charity seems too big a step to take at first, try easing into it: tithe for just one week or one month. Evaluate the results, and if they’re favourable, experiment a little further. If you give tithing a try, chances are you’ll happily choose to make it a way of life.”
