Let me share a few quotes with you:
“Nothing is more fallacious than wealth. It is a hostile comrade, a domestic enemy.”
“Our money belongs to God, no matter how we have gathered it.”
“The love of money leaves everything corrupted and in ruin.”
“The love of money is a dreadful thing; It disables both eyes and ears, and makes men worse to deal with than a wild beast, causing a person to consider neither conscience, nor friendship, nor fellowship, nor salvation.”
“How long shall we love riches? For I shall not cease exclaiming against them: for they are the cause of all evils.”
“Do not leave money to your children, instead, bequeath wisdom and knowledge. For if they are taught to expect money, they will disregard everything else and their abundant wealth will provide a way to mask their wickedness.”
“A rich man is not someone who possesses much, but who gives much.”
“This is true wealth: not to have riches, but to not want riches.”
“Teach children to love true wisdom and they will possess wealth and glory such that money cannot provide. If a child learns a trade, or is highly educated for a lucrative profession, it is nothing compared to the art of detachment from money. If you want to make your child wealthy, teach him that the one who is truly rich does not desire great possessions, or surround himself with wealth.”
These words, a small sample taken from thousands of exegetical quotes by St. John Chrysostom, proclaim the teaching of Jesus Christ in the Gospel of Mark: “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 10:23-31.
Episode 180 Mark 10:23-31; “The Pyre” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/
Hi, thanks, this is wonderful. I have a hard time finding biblical interpretation as hard core as this. I’m wondering…do parts of the bible condone abandoning children to follow God? I have three young children whose lives would be shattered if I left them to, say, be a missionary. Also, do you have any practical advice for how to raise children in a manner that shows good stewardship without neglecting them? My 3 year old is special needs…should I stop taking her to doctors and physical therapists because the expenditure of that money dishonors God? Is it ok to buy the more expensive natural foods that don’t contain carcinogens? Is it immoral to celebrate their borthdays? Anyway, I would love to hear what you think. Thanks for the podcast.
Hi Jenna, The wellbeing and safety of your children is the highest calling of the gospel. It is never ok to abandon them for any cause (or any reason whatsoever) and you should do everything you can to ensure that they receive the best medical care and the healthiest food available. Celebrate their birthdays with enthusiasm! 🙂 The Lord said, “Love your neighbor,” and, regarding children, “of such is the Kingdom of God.” Your children are your closest neighbors and they are totally dependent on you for everything. They will learn true wisdom and the truth of love when they see you put their needs before your own. I am delighted you enjoy the podcast. Keep listening! – Fr. Marc