Does your wealth and superabundance indicate a lack of charity?

Does your wealth and superabundance indicate a lack of charity? October 4, 2010

Basil: Letters and Select Works
Recently the writings of St. Basil the Great have been coming up in my life. There are few christian writers who cut to the heart of the Christian’s relationship with money and possessions.

This commentary on Matt. 19:16-22 cuts deep.

Remember this is the story where someone came to Jesus and said “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” And he said to him … “If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments” … the young man said to him, “I have kept all these from my youth.” (Matt. 19:16-22)

Here is what St. Basil has to say about it

“If your claims were true, namely that you observed from your youth the commandment of love, according to each an equal portion with yourself, from where do you derive this abundance? The care of the needy is an expensive undertaking. Even if each receives only the little his need requires, nevertheless all distribute these goods even as they provide for themselves. Consequently, the one who loves his neighbour as himself possesses nothing in excess of his neighbour’s. However, you obviously have many possessions … Clearly your wealth and superabundance indicates a lack of charity … If you had clothed the naked, if you had shared your bread with the hungry and opened the doors to strangers, if you had become a father for orphans, if you commiserated with all those in dire straits, what regrets would you have had about money in handing over what you have left, if you had long been concerned about distributing to the needy?”

source 


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