Some days you just have to quote the Jesuit who refuses to move into the Papal palace. This is one of these days, because he explains the consequences of loving money far, far, too well.

At the same time, we must also acknowledge that the majority of the men and women of our time continue to live daily in situations of insecurity, with dire consequences. Certain pathologies are increasing, with their psychological consequences; fear and desperation grip the hearts of many people, even in the so-called rich countries; the joy of life is diminishing; indecency and violence are on the rise; poverty is becoming more and more evident. People have to struggle to live and, frequently, to live in an undignified way. One cause of this situation, in my opinion, is in the our relationship with money, and our acceptance of its power over ourselves and our society. Consequently the financial crisis which we are experiencing makes us forget that its ultimate origin is to be found in a profound human crisis. In the denial of the primacy of human beings! We have created new idols. The worship of the golden calf of old (cf. Ex 32:15-34) has found a new and heartless image in the cult of money and the dictatorship of an economy which is faceless and lacking any truly humane goal.

Now, I am no Catholic. I have huge problems with some of their doctrine: I think God is merciful and allowed Joseph to be with Mary after Christ was born, I worry that honouring the apostles and ancient prophets can move into worshipping them when we should worship God alone, and I am an ikonoclast who wants toe ikons preserved, but not worshipped. (Because they are beautiful). Personally, I’m a jar of clay on a really good day. Besides, I’m fairly well off: in Vanessa’s triangle I’m in the knightly caste.

But we are supposed to be faithful with money, not covetous

Luke 16:10-17 (18)

¹⁰“Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. ¹¹If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? ¹²And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? ¹³No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

¹⁴The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this, and they ridiculed him. ¹⁵So he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of others; but God knows your hearts; for what is prized by human beings is an abomination in the sight of God.

¹⁶“The law and the prophets were in effect until John came; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is proclaimed, and everyone tries to enter it by force. ¹⁷But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one stroke of a letter in the law to be dropped.

¹⁸“Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and whoever marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.”

We cannot worship money. Given our fiat currency, it’s stupid to do so: your money is merely a very long number in a bank mainframe, and I’d say the same about bitcoin. Moreover, you cannot eat gold or silver. We need to be responsible here.

But the reformed (and I am one) hate the last verse. Because faithfulness applies not only to money, but to relationships. We are supposed to choose and then be content. Not divorce. (I’d add the reformed only allow divorce for adultery and abandonment — and then the innocent party is accounted as free, but that is not what happens now).

The serial divorce, because you are unhappy, in the hope that you will marry up, or because you have met someone who you LUUURVE and puts led in your pencil (or whatever the female equivalent is — I’m oestrogen challenged) is a form of serial adultery. No one is prepared to preach this. We are scared of being called sexist, uncaring, uncivil, and hypocrites.

Well, yes, hypocrisy is something I’ll cheerfully confess to. I am divorced, I have had a child before I was married, I am not that pure. I have a “number” greater than one. And that should not be so: the more righteous way would have been to have a number of zero until the altar, and then but one person until death.

But that is not what happened. (And now I have one, I hate divorce much more passionately than I did before. The family court is within the circle of hades).

But we are not called to be faithful in perfect places and because we are perfect. We are all fallen. The spirit of this age has touched us all. And to be faithful we have to sacrifice the desire tor the better, and accept the good. We have to ignore the advertising of this world, which inflames our covetousness, and instead proactive charity.

Gotta love the ad men. Sometimes they move into theology, and let their motivations become obvious.

Covetousness is of the pit. Shun that, and you will find a fair number of things no longer matter. You will not need to trade up — instead repair, replace, and enjoy the blessings you have. This is easier if you live in smaller towns, away from crowds, where the temptation — as shown in the ad — of the adulation of the crowd simply does not exist. Because covetousness will never be satisfied: there is always someone more beautiful, richer, more powerful, better, neater, more elegant… and you will find yourself ruled by your credit dating and possessions, instead of holding them lightly.

Or worse, forswear yourself, damaging your bride and your children, for a chimera.

Far better to be content.