Med. XXI On Avarice

POINT I.

1. AVARICE is an inordinate desire of riches and temporal goods, in which we may sin many ways.

i. In desiring to take that which is another man's, contrary to the tenth commandment of the law of God; or taking in the deed, or retaining it contrary to the seventh, which is, "not to steal."

ii. With niggardliness abusing that which is our own, not sharing it, when the law of justice or of charity and mercy obliges us, amongst the needy, but being hard-hearted against them.

iii. In seeking after these goods with too great care, setting our whole heart upon them, treading underfoot for this reason the commandments of Almighty God and of His Church, and the obligations of our state. Hence spring many sins that are the daughters of avarice; viz., lies, frauds, perjuries, violence, tyrannies, cruelties, suits, discords and innumerable others; upon which the apostle said that "the desire of money is the root of all evils."

iv. Whoever has made a vow of poverty sins against it in usurping to himself (without leave of his superior) what is given him by others, or in alienating what is given him, or in hiding it; or in employing what he has to a prohibited use, or after an appropriating manner, that is, with an affection so inordinate, as if it were his own, being sad or complaining when by just title they deprive him of it.

v. We may sin by doing good works principally for temporal interest, or by omitting obligatory works for the same end, treading under foot the rules of our state and office.

2. This examination being made, I will consider whether I have anything that may be an idol for my avarice to adore; seeing (as St. Paul says) avarice "is the service" and adoration "of idols." And if I find any such thing in my possession, or in my heart any such affection and desire of it, I will confess these sins before God our Lord, with great shame that I have coveted anything against Him, resolving to root out this affection, and if I can also, to divest myself of that which is its cause. To this end I shall be aided with these considerations ensuing.

POINT II.

Secondly, I am to consider the evils and chastisements of avarice, reducing them to the three kinds that have been spoken of.

1. First, I will ponder that avarice (as St. Paul says) "is the root of" two sorts of "evil," in which are summed all the evils of this life, to wit—transgressions and pains, sins and sorrows; which are joined together to chastise the mother that engenders and sustains them; so that she is the tormenter of herself, putting the covetous man in great vexations and afflictions to gain or preserve riches with a miserable servitude and slavery of them. It is likewise a snare of Satan, with which he drags him through thorns and prickly shrubs of temptations, obscurities of faith, remorses of conscience, and of cares that sting him; and in the end he hangs him, like Judas, between heaven and earth, neither permitting him to enjoy the goods of the earth nor to attain to those of heaven.

2. To these chastisements Almighty God sometimes adds others, to show how much He abhors this vice, and such as sin therein in any of the five ways before-mentioned, of each of which I will set down an example.

Achan, because he took certain things of Jericho, contrary to the precept of Josue, was by God's commandment stoned to death, and all his wealth consumed with fire. Nabal, overwhelmed with avarice, denied David the alms he asked; and because he was hard-hearted to him who was needy, he died with his heart as hard as "a stone." Jezabel, with an inordinate desire to have Naboth's vineyard, in order to get possession of it caused him to be put to death; and she was thrown out of a window, and eaten by "dogs." Ananias and Sapphira, because, when they had vowed poverty, they reserved to themselves "part of the price of" the sale of their "land," died disastrously. Giezi, vanquished by covetousness, demanded money of Naaman, for the health that Eliseus the prophet had given him, and was therefore struck with a "leprosy." Finally, Judas, solicited and drawn by his avarice, admitted Satan to enter into him; and not content with stealing what was given to His master, sold Him, and hanged himself.

Colloquy.—O my soul, how is it that thou art not afraid of so fierce a vice that assails and overthrows kings and plebeians, rich and poor, secular and religious, servants of the prophets and primitive Christians, and one of the twelve Apostles?

3. After these chastisements come the eternal punishments of hell, where the covetous shall suffer very great anguish with the knowledge of their terrible necessity, seeing they want all that their avarice desired; and the richer and more covetous they were here, so much the more they shall there be tormented: like the rich covetous man whose abundance ended in horrible misery.

Colloquy.—O omnipotent God, rich in doing mercy, deliver me from this avarice, out of which spring so many miseries, for I had rather without it suffer temporal necessity than with it fall into eternal!

POINT III.

1. Thirdly, I am to consider the great benefits that are included in the perfect mortification of avarice. And as there are two ways of mortifying it—one, keeping still the dominion of my riches, and mortifying only the inordinate affection to them; (in which consists the first degree of poverty of spirit, including the virtue of liberality, which distributes its goods when and as it is convenient, and the virtue of mercy, which remedies the necessities of the poor;) the other, forsaking all the riches that I have or might have, the more to uproot my affections from them (in which consists the voluntary poverty of religion).

i. In both ways are included great benefits. For generally, to all the poor of spirit Christ our Lord promised the kingdom of heaven; as well the kingdom of the other life as that which is enjoyed in this life, which is "justice, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost." So that if I mortify and vanquish avarice I shall enjoy three benefits—justice, with abundance of good works; peace, without any noise of disturbance; and spiritual joy, free from gloominess and vexation, because I shall have taken away the root of the evils that hinder this good.

ii. Besides this, avarice being vanquished, if I am liberal towards God, in giving for His sake what I have, God will be most liberal towards me in giving me His benefits, as well temporal, which shall be expedient for me, as also spiritual, both in this life and in the other. For it is He who said, "Give, and it shall be given to you; good measure, and pressed down, and shaken together, and running over shall they give into your bosom," where it will be very secure and much esteemed. He says, "Dabunt," "they shall give," to signify that our gifts are the cause why Almighty God gives us this measure with those four conditions, which, when it is most abundant, it may have. And He adds, that "with the same measure" we "shall mete, it shall be measured to" us "again;" for our liberality increasing towards our neighbours, the liberality of God will increase towards us, so that he that sows much shall reap much.

Colloquy.—Therefore, O my soul, be liberal towards God and for His love towards others, and God in Himself and in others will be liberal towards thee! For "the soul which blesseth shall be made fat;" that which gives shall be enriched, and "he that inebriateth, also shall be inebriated himself," receiving much because it gives much.

iii. Hence I will ascend to consider the great benefits that I shall receive if I embrace the second way of mortifying avarice, forsaking all things for Christ, and giving them to the poor; because as this is a much greater liberality towards God, so God will be much more liberal towards me, fulfilling the promise which He made to give in this life "a hundredfold" for what we give Him, and afterwards "life everlasting;" with a special promise to give us at the day of judgment thrones of great glory, to judge the tribes of Israel and the nations of the world.

Colloquy.—O happy poverty, which is rewarded with so great riches! O blessed liberality, whose guerdon is a measure so abundant! Oh that I could mortify the love of earthy riches to obtain divine, possessing all things in Almighty God! O most sweet Jesus, who camest from heaven to earth to give us an example of poverty, by which we may mount from earth to heaven, and chosest to die naked upon a cross, quitting the world without possessing anything of the world, grant me to abhor temporal riches, that I may serve Thee with perfection, and obtain riches everlasting! Amen.

2. From these considerations I must draw a very firm resolution to mortify avarice in all the things which have been spoken of in the first point, observing some sort of poverty conformable to my estate. i. Living content with my estate, though it be but mean, without coveting what is superfluous or what belongs to others. ii. In employing well what I have, and being liberal to those that want. iii. In taking away the too great love of it, possessing it as though I "possessed it not." iv. In delighting sometimes to suffer want of something; to imitate in something the poverty of my Redeemer. v. Endeavouring to serve Him, not in order that He may give me temporal goods, but because He is worthy to be served, with a hope that He will give me goods everlasting. Amen.