“In his riches, man lacks wisdom.” Ps. 49
The rich man and Lazarus.
As we get older, temporal goods and possessions become less and less important for many of us. Even irreligious men. I often recall how the great interior designer, Billy Baldwin, moved from NYC to the Cape, getting rid of most of his possessions and living the rest of his life in a small cottage, sparsely furnished. (Among his many famous clients was Jackie Kennedy Onassis.) As the end of life neared, he no longer cared about material wealth or possessions. Bill Blass, the classic fashion designer, acted similarly towards the end of his life. Both left rather impressive fortunes to charity.
The Gospel today concerns the rich man who had no pity for the poor Lazarus during his lifetime, because his affection was placed upon the things of this world, riches, possessions, etc. In his prosperity, the rich man forgot and abandoned God, creating an idol of his wealth and luxury. The image of the poor Lazarus seems to me to be the icon of God, while the rich man’s deliberate ignorance of Lazarus, demonstrates how the rich can often forsake God and the practice of justice.
Although St. John of the Cross is writing for contemplatives in the Ascent of Mount Carmel, his teaching is of great value to anyone seeking to live a more spiritual life. As regards vain rejoicing in temporal goods, the love of money and riches, St. John has much to say.
In our age of prosperity and luxury, everyone wants to be rich, and many want to be famous. Recently Oprah had a show about spoiled kids and how parents are ruining their lives. Our society focuses far too much on success, status, wealth and possessions, along with personal luxury. Yet that is the nature of the world.
The harm resulting from riches.
St. John indicates these affections and appetites do great harm to the soul. In the begining, inordinate attachment to temporal goods cause the soul to grow lukewarm in faith and spiritual exercises. Seeking riches and possessions for their sake alone, along with the vain pleasure and joy they afford, leads one to prefer these things to the love of Christ. St. John writes about these people when he says:
“They gradually turn from justice and virtue because their will reaches out more and more into affection for creatures. The trait of these people is extreme lukewarmness in spiritual matters, and carelessness about them, with the observance of them through mere formality, force, or habit, rather than through love.” - “Ascent”, Bk. III, 19: 6
It is interesting to note, this description may explain many Sunday Catholics and why their practice of the faith remains so superficial. It may account for why so many are much more open to accepting compromise, as well as false socio-political ideals, such as gay marriage, birth control and abortion, no longer believing in the teaching authority of the Church.
Faithlessness.
Eventually the love of money leads to the complete abandonment of God. “The individual grows careless about the observance of God’s law in order to attend to worldly goods and allows himself to fall into mortal sins through covetousness.” - “Ascent”
St. John identifies these as the greedy, those who are so anxious about the things of this world they can never be satisfied and therefore seek to amass more wealth and possessions, extravagances and luxuries. “The more their appetite and thirst increases, the further they regress from God…These greedy persons fall into thousands of kinds of sins out of love for temporal goods, and the harm they suffer is indeterminable.” - “Ascent”
Finally, after discussing the complete abandonement of God by the avariscious, St. John writes this:
“Many, today, in various ways” - are like this (my words). “Their reason is darkened through covetousness, they serve money and not God, and they are motivated by money and not God, and they give their first consideration to the temporal price and not to the divine value and reward. In multiple ways they make money their principle god and goal and give it precedence to God, their ultimate end.” - “Ascent”
“Though he flattered himself while he lived;
‘Men will praise me for all my success,’
yet he will go to join his fathers,
who will never see the light any more.
In his riches, man lacks wisdom:
he is no better than the beasts who perish.” Psalm 49