1 Timothy 6:10 is our source for this topic (not Proverbs, as we erroneously say!). We discuss the love of money in the context of the Mass reading recently about the rich young man asking Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. We look at the idea of a camel fitting through the eye of a needle more easily than a rich person might enter heaven, and explore what that actually means. Does God hate rich people? No. Does the Church tell us not to be rich? No. What if we are rich – does this story apply to us? Well, we are, and that depends…

Riches come in many forms. And they can cause vanity, pride, and a million other things that distract us from The Lord. If we are distracted by our riches – those things that make us feel rich, important, better than others, etc. – including the “right” group, even a youth group that’s “cool”, then those riches are exactly what Jesus is talking about.

Are we rich in our knowledge? Rich in our athletic ability? Rich in the number of friends we have?

These are all questions of wealth we need to see that apply to us when we hear this story of Jesus and the rich young man. The riches that distract us are no different than the riches of the rich young man – they can be distracting and can be what we gain our identity from. Our identity should always be in Jesus.

How many rich people did Jesus meet during His ministry? Many more than this encounter reveals. Jesus knows what distracts us from His Father, and this young man’s distraction was his monetary wealth. For others it can be anything of a myriad of possibilities.

We are all rich in something? Are we humble enough to keep that from distracting us from The Lord, so that we, to, may inherit eternal life?

Some items on our site that will help in exploring the Love of Money, or at least get you started:

TWMWU: All Things are Possible For God

TWMWU: The Important Things

TWMWU: Complacency Kills

Article: Putting God to the Test of Higher “Education”

Article: What is Love?

Podcast Episode: God’s Beauty – Episode 160

Your suggestions, questions, and ideas for topics are what we need to keep providing great episodes. Email us or use the contact page to let us know what you would like us to talk about, or comment below to let us know if we picked a good topic with The Love Of Money.