Avarice

"Covetousness is the root of all evils." (1. Tim. 6: 10.)

Undoubtedly, a young man, because he has not come into his estates, and also because of his levity and short-sightedness, which make him, as yet, think little of the future, is more inclined to extravagance, than to attachment to money and goods But, in these days of ours, when there is such an absorbing passion for money-getting among both great and small, and when the perfection of science, and of labor-saving inventions, feeds the inordinate inclinations of the sensual and the ambitious,—the idol of even the young begins to be money. Youth, as well as old age, worships the Golden Calf.

Sad forerunner of an unhappy future! Dark source of many present errors!

You begin to place an inordinate value on the goods of this world. You esteem as great and happy those who are blessed with temporal prosperity; you become sordid and stingy, and are grieved beyond measure at any loss. Your heart grows restless, and expends itself in desires of wealth; you search for means and ways by which you may attain riches. By degrees, you pass from honest, to less honest, and finally, to criminal means of attaining your end. Ultimately, your motto is: Make money at any price;—and an abyss of worthlessness and dishonor opens under your feet.

Covetousness is the root of all evils. (1. Tim. 6: 10.)

Lesser breaches of trust lead up to embezzlement, theft, robbery, cheating, over-reaching one's neighbor, retaining unjustly-acquired goods, avaricious accumulation of money. Hardness towards the poor, needy, and suffering;parsimony, miserliness towards one's self and others; forgetfulness of God, of heaven, and of eternity,—all these proceed from this one root: The desire of money.

The rich man is always puffed up. In his opinion, external goods supply for interior goodness. He leans upon the temporal; he thinks he can do without God, can secure all things with money. Our mighty hand, says he, and not the Lord, hath done all these things. (Deut. 32: 27.)

And, indeed, a golden key opens many locks. The door to all vices is quickly opened, when struck by the magic wand of gold or silver.

If they who wish to become rich, fall into temptation and many snares (1. Tim. 6: 9); how much more are those not free from sin, who are actually rich (Ecclus. 11: 10), and who delight in their wealth?

But, young man, what are riches?

Are they not rubbish and earth, like everything else, here below?

Are they not transitory, unstable, inconstant?

Shall they not be wrested from us at the hour of death?

Thou fool, this night do they require thy soul of thee: and whose shall those things be which thou hast provided? (Luke 12: 20.)

The rich man, when he shall sleep (die), shall take nothing away with him: he shall open his eyes, and find nothing. Poverty, like water, shall take hold on him; a tempest shall oppress him in the night: a burning wind shall take him up, and carry him away; and as a whirlwind, shall snatch him from his place. (Job 27: 19-21.)

Suddenly, then, unexpectedly, irresistibly, and irretrievably, will he suffer the loss of all earthly goods.

Alas! how miserable is he who serves this passion!

What toil in the acquisition, what anxiety in the possession, what grief at the loss, of earthly goods!

Count the sleepless nights of the avaricious man.

There, plans and difficulties; here, distrust and suspicion; then, again, timidity and fear.

That which one loves, he seeks with ardor.

That which one loves, he dreads to lose.

And faith suffers loss; for covetousness wants to see, and to touch, and to count, while faith is the substance of things to be hoped for, the evidence of things that appear not. (Hebr. 11: 1.)

Hope grows sick and languishing; for men trust in the uncertainty of riches. (1. Tim. 6: 17.)

And charity becomes cold; for it degenerates into selfishness, feeding itself. (Jude 1: 12.)

How true is the saying: Better is a little, with the fear of the Lord, than great treasures, without content (Prov. 15: 16)!

If riches abound, set not your heart upon them. (Ps. 61. 11.)

Give me neither beggary, nor riches; give me only the necessaries of life. Lest, perhaps, being filled, I should be tempted to deny, and say: Who is the Lord? or being compelled .by poverty, I should steal, and forswear the name of my God. (Prov. 30: 8, 9.)

It may, however, happen to a young man to be enslaved to the vice of avarice, less from the love of money in itself than because it furnishes the means to gratify his various passions.

He desires to enjoy himself—he needs money.

He wishes to collect around himself friends and companions; he must entertain them with feasting and wines.

All these things cost money.

Which is worse: To love money in order to keep and hoard it up; or, to love it in order to spend it, and squander it, for the gratification of our own inordinate desires?

The greed of money-getting becomes the source of manifold sins. Parents, guardians, and superiors are deceived; perhaps, their hard earnings are forced from them. Gaming, solely with the desire of winning, fraudulent gains, concealment of stolen goods, theft, robbery, even murder or suicide, follow in its train.

O my young friend, search your heart!

If you find that you are too much attached to the goods of this world, do not rest until you have stifled that inordinate affection.

If you thirst after money, in order to gratify your inclination for enjoyment and pleasure, put a curb upon it, and learn moderation and necessary self-denial.

If you are rich, know that you owe your wealth to God, and that you must, one day, render him an account of everything you possess.

Remember, further, that many go to destruction on account of riches; and that these are the words of Christ: How hard is it for them that trust in riches, to enter into the kingdom of God! (Mark 10: 24.) Therefore, you must labor the more to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. (Phil. 2: 12.)

Set not your heart upon money. Money, in itself, is not evil; it is the inordinate attachment to it that makes it a heavy weight, dragging us down to the lowest abyss.

Live according to your station in life, but plainly. Use your wealth in moderation, and in a manner consistent with God's holy designs.

Love the poor, and rejoice that God has appointed you their almoner. Be generous to them, and obey the words of the Lord: Lay not up to yourselves treasures on earth: where the rust and moth consume, and where thieves break through and steal. (Matt. 6: 19, 20.) Make unto you friends of the mammon of iniquity. (Luke 16: 9) Learn to experience in yourselves, that it is a more blessed thing to give, than to receive. (Acts 20: 35.) A generous, open-handed young man—what a noble, edifying spectacle!

If you be poor, do not murmur, but rather rejoice in your resemblance to Jesus.

Undeserved poverty is no disgrace; and even merited poverty, through resignation becomes meritorious. The Lord maketh poor and maketh rich. (1. Kings 2: 7.)

But, be poor in spirit (Matt. 5: 3); otherwise, your poverty is without merit. Only such poor are pronounced blessed by our Lord.

Have confidence in God. He who clothes the lilies of the field, so that their beauty surpasses even the glory of Solomon (Matt. 6: 29), will not forget you. Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God, and his justice: and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matt. 6: 33.)

If you be neither rich nor poor, do not be disquieted. If we have food and raiment, let us be satisfied. (1. Tim. 6: 8.)

Away, then, with all discontent, despondency, unnecessary cares, and inordinate desires!

One thing only is necessary: That our souls may not, one day, be found poor and naked. For the rest,—cast thy care upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee; he shall not suffer the just to waver for ever. (Ps. 54: 23.)