Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Riches are Porn
A very wise analysis by Catholic Analysis
Why is it so hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God? Riches are like alcohol, narcotics, lust, and pornography: addictive. We have more and get more, but more is never enough because someone else has more, someone else has a bigger house or car or bank account or real estate holdings. In addition, our very human fears for the future and for our children drive us to amass more and more. We are weak before the temptation to become addicted to money and riches as we are weak before substances, lust, and pornography. We have Alcoholics Anonymous. We need a "Materialists Anonymous."
Worst of all, materialism leads us to ignore the weightier things. We vote for candidates based on our perceived economic self-interest and ignore the life issues. We focus on making more money, and at the same time let our daughters dress like hookers. We stick to our exclusive social circles, and miss out on the real treasures: our fellow Christians, many of whom have very little of the world's goods. Read the Bible about riches and pray. We Catholics, who claim to be faithful and traditional, should be just as suspicious of riches as we are of dangers like pornography and substance abuse.
Why is it so hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God? Riches are like alcohol, narcotics, lust, and pornography: addictive. We have more and get more, but more is never enough because someone else has more, someone else has a bigger house or car or bank account or real estate holdings. In addition, our very human fears for the future and for our children drive us to amass more and more. We are weak before the temptation to become addicted to money and riches as we are weak before substances, lust, and pornography. We have Alcoholics Anonymous. We need a "Materialists Anonymous."
Worst of all, materialism leads us to ignore the weightier things. We vote for candidates based on our perceived economic self-interest and ignore the life issues. We focus on making more money, and at the same time let our daughters dress like hookers. We stick to our exclusive social circles, and miss out on the real treasures: our fellow Christians, many of whom have very little of the world's goods. Read the Bible about riches and pray. We Catholics, who claim to be faithful and traditional, should be just as suspicious of riches as we are of dangers like pornography and substance abuse.
