Don’t End Up In Hell’s Kitchen: Don’t Follow The Ways of Mammon
The thoughts of the rich of this world are: to keep what they have gained, and to sweat in gaining more; and therefore seldom or never is true contrition is found among them. They despise it, being entirely set on transitory things. While they are set so ardently on the sweetness of temporal things, they forget contrition, the life of the soul, and so incur death.
Natural History says that deer are hunted in this way. Two men go, and one of them whistles and signs. The deer follows the song, taking pleasure in it. The other one takes his spear, strikes the deer and kills it. The hunting of the rich is the same. The two men are the world and the devil. The world whistles and sings in front of the rich man, showing him pleasures and riches, and promising him them. When the stupid fool follows, taking pleasure in them, he is killed by the devil and carried off to hell’s kitchen, to be skinned and boiled. [1]
The rich get richer by making sure they keep all they have as they seek to accumulate more wealth. The little wealth they use is used in order to pay people to help them accumulate even more wealth, to take out more wealth from its needed distribution with the general populace. They are taking more and more of the world’s resources, leaving less and less for the rest of us. They, who have way more than they ever need, seek after more, and there appears to be no end to their avarice.
The people of the world suffer as a consequence of wealth’s unjust distribution. They feel the effects of any economic downturn; the rich, on the other hand, have enough resources and means; they know how to turn even an economic downturn as a profit. Indeed, it enables them to make even greater profit, because they know those in need are even more desperate, willing to do even more for less. When asked to help contribute to the needs of the people, to help pay them so their needs are covered, the rich tell us how it is their money, their resources, and they should be free to use it as they will. They despise being told of the burden they create for society – they want to think anyone else is to blame but them.
Justice can only be halted for so long. The injustice of the rich as they place more and more burdens on the poor will be avenged, if not in this world, in the world to come. “Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly” (Deut. 32:35 RSV). The poor are closed to the heart of God. “”Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God” (Luke 6:20 RSV), while the rich are close to the heart of their Lord, Mammon. “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Luke 16:13 RSV). Serving Mammon, the rich find themselves following their leader to the same end as he face: hellfire:
Therefore follows: You cannot serve God and mammon. The Gloss says here: “Mammon, in the Syriac tongue, is wealth. To serve it is to deny God. He does not say, having them: that it is lawful. He says, serving: the mark of a miser. It is said that this is the name of a demon who presides over wealth; not because they are in his gift, but because he uses them to deceive, setting snares of riches.” Cursed mammon! Alas, how many religious he has blinded! How many monks he has infatuated! How many seculars he has cast into hell![2]
Do not fall for Mammon, that Pied Piper whose seductive music leads to perdition. Justice will prevail. Those who have wealth have a responsibility to use that wealth for the benefit of humanity. Good and faithful stewards of wealth, who have made sure it is universally distributed and that those in need have received the aid they need, will be told they did well. They will be welcomed by God into the kingdom of God, because they will have shown the same love and compassion for the poor that God has. “Then the King will say to those at his right hand, `Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me’” (Matt. 25:34-36 RSV). Those who follow Mammon, however, will find the demands of justice bringing them the fate of their master. “Then he will say to those at his left hand, `Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me’” (Matt 25:41-43 RSV).
[1] Saint Anthony of Padua, Sermons for Sundays and Festivals. Volume IV. Trans. Paul Spilsbury (Padua: Edizioni Messaggero Padova, 2010), 156.
[2] Saint Anthony of Padua, Sermons for Sundays and Festivals. Volume II. Trans. Paul Spilsbury (Padua: Edizioni Messaggero Padova, 2007), 404.
Comments are closed.
This ends my Lenten reflections on the writings of St Anthony of Padua. The first quote here comes from a homily he wrote for the start of Lent, and I thought it would be a good way to end my own Lenten reflections.
Next week is Holy Week. For Byzantine Catholics, Holy Week is not Lent, but a special time of its own.
I truly believe the world has changed since those verses were written. This is unthinkable in past times, but is a welcoming sign for the world:
http://givingpledge.org/
Dan
I would suggest you read some Zizek on economics (First the Tragedy is one). He examines the sham of modern “wealthy” philanthropy — there have always been “rich” playing a show of “giving” which really is “giving” as a means to help themselves more in the end.
http://www.soxfirst.com/50226711/george_soros_corporate_social_responsibility_and_hypocrisy.php is a brief synopsis of his thought.
Your post disheartens me greatly. You have some of the wealthiest people in the world voluntarily giving away their fortunes for the betterment of humanity. They are under no obligation to do so. This is an initiative that can make a real and lasting impact on the world as a whole. And yet we try and find fault with it. That’s more of a reflection of us than it is on them.
The reason so many give “some” wealth back is because they know they have to make sure the people are content enough not to respond to the injustice in the system. The little they give back is minute in comparison to what they take, and yet they act like they are great helpers of mankind all the while reinforcing the system which will make sure less people need aid.
I would also caution that mischaracterization of the wealthy as evil and only out for their own self-interest is just as misleading and potentially sinful as mischaracterization of the poor as lazy and stupid.
The reason so many give “some” wealth back is because they know they have to make sure the people are content enough not to respond to the injustice in the system. The little they give back is minute in comparison to what they take, and yet they act like they are great helpers of mankind all the while reinforcing the system which will make sure less people need aid.
Did you do any research on the project I referred to before condemning it? These people are giving half or more of their wealth away. That’s billions and billions of dollars going to social justice programs. Isn’t this exactly what we want the rich to do? To give their wealth to the poor?
I sincerely mean no offence by this, but this really seem pharisitical to me.
If you’ve ever actually met these individuals, you’d realize that the vast majority of them are not evil – they’re normal people with an incredible talent for business who have reached the apex of their profession. They have not grown their businesses to build bigger barns, but rather because that was a natural outpouring of the creative talents that God gave them. And once they’ve achieved their success, all they want to do is give back and make the world a better place. I know, because I run in these circles. There are many good men at the top. Frankly, out of the four billionaires I know personally, only one of them has even moderately questionable ethics. The other three of are some of the most honest, generous, and kind-hearted people you’d ever meet.
And yet they remain — billionaires… a “real” sacrifice!
Thank you Henry for these critical reflections. I certainly am attached to my comfort and it is too easy to deceive myself that I am living my faith as I should. I must continue to let go of the smallest attachment to the world.
God Bless You.
Ronald
You are welcome. I am not saying I live out the ideals in them — as I keep saying in these posts — they are for me as much as for everyone else. They remind me of my sins, my failings, and where I should strive. They condemn me but I know the condemnations are just.
In my opinion, we only need to look at reality. There is so much suffering in the world due to selfishness, yet we have the resources to alleviate much of that suffering. Why isn’t it alleviated? Why aren’t third world countries and the poor in our own country getting the help they deserve as creations of God? Who has the power and resources to help more than they have?
Mother Teresa once received a large check from a donor and she made the statement that it must have hurt to give that much. When he replied that it did not hurt at all, she refused the offering and gave it back to him.
Mother Teresa once received a large check from a donor and she made the statement that it must have hurt to give that much. When he replied that it did not hurt at all, she refused the offering and gave it back to him.
This sounds apocryphal. Given Mother Teresa’s relationships with some very wealthy people, I find this hard to believe. To turn down well-intentioned resources which can be allocated to those in need simply out of some sort of “you’re not holy enough” principle is judgmental, selfish, and prideful. That doesn’t sound like Mother Teresa to me.
Dan, it was your interpretation that the donor was not holy enough. The message is totally different than your interpretation.
Since you run with some of the wealthiest people in the country would you be interested in approaching them to help put together a cross-country Rosary Run/Walk Pilgrimage to promote healthcare and education facilities in major metropolitan areas for women and the children in the womb and outside the womb? Would they be willing to create a large movement that could not be ignored and would require the sacrifice of our daily comforts in order to show what we are willing to sacrifice in the name of love and faith.
I am serious about this Dan. This idea came to me in ’07 while running and praying the Rosary. Three years also popped into my head as an amount of time of sacrifice necessary to create an atmosphere of healing and conversion.
What do you think?
I’d be happy to. One of those billionaires is a major supporter of Catholic ministry, and it sounds like a cause he’d definitely get behind. How can I contact you for more information?
I think you are begging the question. You start with the assumption that there is only a finite amount of wealth in the world, such that the richer the rich get, the poorer everyone else must be. But the situation in our country, the fact that the poor here are far better off than the poor of most other countries, makes me wonder if that’s too simplistic. Is it possible that the rich get richer not necessarily by taking wealth from others, but by creating *additional* wealth? And when they do so, must it necessarily harm others, or might it not benefit others as well?
The idea of “billionaires” giving away half their fortunes, either during their lifetimes or as bequests at death is not new. It formed a central part of charitable giving in the Middle Ages, and it is against this backdrop that St. Anthony is writing. Then and now motives are mixed, with the glory and status that comes from magnanimity playing no small role in many cases.
In the story of the widow’s mite, Jesus spoke directly to this question of giving by the rich. He did not say that no virtue accrued to rich men who gave from their superfluity, but he put it (and, I guess, them) in its place by extolling the widow who gave a few pennies. I have never hung with billionaires, but I have known my share of millionaires—on feature of being an academic at a liberal arts college is that it gives you a social pass into circles you are extremely far from economically. And while many of them were extremely generous, I always found it distasteful how much they expected to be coddled and stroked for their giving.
The funny thing I’ve noticed is that there is an economy of wealth. The millionaires are often the worst of the bunch – they have an over-inflated sense of self-importance and, as you say, enjoy the ego rush of their financial position. The multi-millionaires are generally too busy to care either way. They’ll give if the spirit moves them without requiring much in return, but convincing them to slow down enough to pay attention to what is going on around them is the hard part. The billionaires, on the other hand, are typically humanists and philanthropists who like nothing more than to share their success and help others achieve their goals. They’ve already proven everything they wanted to prove. There’s nothing left but to help others. They expect nothing in return but the same respect you should give every man.
The interesting thing is that, until I actually met these people and got to know them, I always characterized them as the hollywood does – the wall street tycoons that rape and pillage the earth for their own selfish interests. The opposite is actually true. They enjoy making money, but only ethically. And they enjoy giving it away even more. Do they have giant egos? Absolutely. But it stops when they leave the boardroom. Philanthropy is rarely an ego trip for them.
I know that it certainly opened my eyes. The world is a much better place at the top than you or I ever thought it was.
Dan, Henry has my permission to give you my email address
[I just did, HK]
Thanks Henry