Friday, April 17, 2009

Heb 13, 5-6 Let your life be free from love of money

(Heb 13, 5-6) Let your life be free from love of money
[5] Let your life be free from love of money but be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never forsake you or abandon you." [6] Thus we may say with confidence: "The Lord is my helper, (and) I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?"
(CCC 2556) Detachment from riches is necessary for entering the Kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are the poor in spirit." (CCC 2536) The tenth commandment forbids greed and the desire to amass earthly goods without limit. It forbids avarice arising from a passion for riches and their attendant power. It also forbids the desire to commit injustice by harming our neighbor in his temporal goods: When the Law says, "You shall not covet," these words mean that we should banish our desires for whatever does not belong to us. Our thirst for another's goods is immense, infinite, never quenched. Thus it is written: "He who loves money never has money enough" (Roman Catechism, III, 37; cf. Sir 5:8). (CCC 2551) "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Mt 6:21). (CCC 2552) The tenth commandment forbids avarice arising from a passion for riches and their attendant power.

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