It's Not Easy Being Perfect

Apart from the $1 scratch offs my mom gives us every Christmas, I've never played the lottery. But the convenience store down the street from us just sold three Powerball tickets totaling $1.4 million. And I heard a Skid Row bodega sold the winning $1 billion Powerball ticket. Irony of ironies. 

In 2002, when businessman Jack Whittaker won a record-setting $315 million Powerball ticket, he was already a self-made millionaire. But he, like many others before him, was beset by the "lottery curse"--drinking, gambling, strip clubs, overspending, death, divorce, violence, bankruptcy etc as a result of the fast infusion of wealth. He admitted later, "I wish I had torn the ticket up."

I'm giving a talk on virtue of prudence next week, so have been thinking about how this virtue applies particularly in finances. Prudence is the intellectual virtue which rightly directs particular human acts, through rectitude of the appetite, toward a good end.As a moral virtue, it is a habit that makes its possessor good. You don’t just know the good, you DO the good. You behave well.

Obviously there were wealthy and blessed men in the scriptures (Abraham, Job, Zacchaeus, Joseph of Arimathea, to name a few), but that didn't keep Christ from preaching on the danger of riches:

“He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like the green leaf.” (Prov 11:28)

“Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” (Mk 10:23)

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” (Mk 6:24)

“And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.” (Mt 13:22)

“When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you. Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today; otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them, and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have multiplies, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” (Dt 8:10-14)

“If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.” (1 Tim 6:8-9)

“Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” (Lk 12:15)

On the topic of wealth, it's often the mean that gets missed when we speak in extremes. I made this point in my post "Not 'Clown Masses' Nor 'Golden Unicorns': The Truth of the N.O. Lies In the Liturgical Mean;" when it comes to liturgy, people point out the ideals of the reverent Novus Ordo (ad orientum, chant, Latin, etc) and the existence of things like liturgical dance and other cringe abuses while neglecting the fact that 80% of Masses in the New Rite are simply beige and banal. To the degree that one moves toward reverence in liturgy is the right trajectory; to the degree that one moves towards "Gospel simplicity" we'll call it (in terms of material goods) is the right trajectory as well.

The same may be said for the false binary of the "1%" versus the homeless on the street or minimum wage workers just trying to get by (who also may be homeless!). Of course we see this example in the sixteenth chapter of Luke's gospel with Lazarus and the rich man. 

"Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish." (Lk 16:25)

What we neglect to realize is that we, too, have stepped over those lying in destitution on the way to our jobs, or driven quickly past at intersections, just as the rich man neglected to share his bread with Lazarus even though he would have been content with the crumbs from his table. If we had to identify with one man or the other, which one would it be?

Though we are what you would call "middle-class", rarely a day goes by in which I experience the pangs of hunger, and even when I do (by fasting), it is self-imposed not because of circumstance. I feast sumptuously every day (3 squares a day, from Aldi), and am dressed in clothes that I have chosen and bought myself, even if they were from Goodwill or Walmart. 

"Woe to you that are filled; for you shall hunger." (Lk 6:25)

Not only that, but I am not dependent on buses or rideshares, but own not one, but two cars. And not hoopties either! My children can play in our yard and street safely...they are not confined to inside due to violence. Even if they were, though, they have plenty of space, and even their own bedrooms! It's hot, we turn on the central air. It's cold, we fill up the oil tank. An appliance breaks, we buy a new one. 

If that weren't enough, we have a degree of choice and control over our lives because we are debt free. And not only that, but we contribute to retirement and savings each month from our paycheck, and take a yearly vacation as well.

"And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” (Lk 12:16-21). 

I even have health insurance through work, so we don't have to worry necessarily about being blindsided by massive medical bills in this broken U.S. healthcare system. We are in good health for the most part, though...another mark of good fortune.

Though we are what you would call "middle-class", and I make a median salary, which man do you think I share more in common with? To whom is Christ speaking his admonitions? When Nathan brought the scales down from the indignant King David's eyes, it was with the words: YOU ARE THE MAN! (2 Sam 12 7:14).

And that's the thing with regards to my point above--most of America is not in the extremes but in the mean. The 1% are in their own (gated) worlds, and the truly poor theirs. Even though the middle class is shrinking in the U.S., many of us are still quite comfortable and deal more with wants than needs. 

One of the more challenging books I have read in recent years is Fr. Thomas Dubay's Happy Are You Poor. It’s one of those books you want to throw across the room. I think the reason it is challenging is because it was written for people like myself who are have our needs met but who wouldn't consider ourselves "rich" and so give ourselves a pass while clinging to the power and security that wealth--even if it is modest--provides. Fr Dubay does not give an out, never takes his gentle foot of the gas--his tone is not one of condemnation or judgment, but simply a challenge to "be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Mt 5:48). And what does our Lord say to the good, earnest young man asking about eternal life? "If ye wish to be perfect, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven" (Mt 19:21). 

I'm going to share something personal here: for the first time, I had a real seizing fear of my parents passing one day. Not because of their deaths, but that all that my father had accumulated in this lifetime in terms of wealth is earmarked for my brothers and I. And while I had always been grateful for that sense of security and future safety net, all of a sudden the other night, that thought of a sudden influx of wealth made me very, very apprehensive.

It's not that I'm not a responsible, prudent, financially literate person. But as Francis Chan said once in a sermon, "Money does weird things to us. You're rich. I'm rich. And that puts us at a very serious disadvantage spiritually."  Knowing this, my first temptation would be to treat that inheritance as a kind of hot-potato, and give it away in a way that provides for the Church and those in need right away in an abundance of spiritual caution. But would that be dishonoring my father? Foolish? Imprudent? If so, on what would I spend it? I literally feel like a rich man already, and have everything I need (even if those needs are admittedly modest). 

A study came out in 2010 saying that happiness doesn't increase much above a $75,000/yr salary (adjusted for inflation, I'd say $100,000/yr would be appropriate). Now a new study out of Penn puts that number at $500,000/yr. I don't know where they get these numbers, or what criteria they use to determine happiness. It's not really about the actual numbers per se, and happiness is also a matter of perspective as well. I think its reasonable to say that once one's basic need are met, things above and beyond do have the potential to plateau. 

Compared to the riches of the Gospel, and the invitation to eternal life, riches in this life pale in comparison. Even if He were to liquidate my savings, my home, take my family from me...nothing can separate us from the love of Christ (Rom 8:37-39). And that is true treasure. 

Fr. Dubay makes the point that "sensible people do not choose emptiness for the sake of emptiness. Of itself, negation has no value. It is literally nothing is worth nothing. Reality is made to be and to be be full. The value of negative things derives, must derive, from something positive, something they make possible" (54). This is what he calls the "radical readiness" of the disciple for the kingdom. And I realized that the fear I experienced the other night could be viewed as a threat to that readiness, that girding of loins, if it ever got to the point that I was clinging to not only what I have now, but what is promised to me in inheritance. "Having wealth is damaging to the pursuit of the kingdom because the very having does something to one's inner life, one's very ability to love God for his own goodness and others in and for him. The more we possess, the more we are--in our own minds" (59).   

Robert Couse-Baker, on his blog devoted to Fr. Dubay's work, makes a good point: much of the unhappiness we experience as a result of wealth is tied up with the unfortunate American ideal of individualism divorced from community: 

"The platitudes about trusting in God...can all come across as very patronizing to the poor. In reaction to this, he advocates a certain kind of self-reliance and self-sufficiency. Both positions miss a fundamental point. Jesus didn’t come to give humanity a code of ethics that individuals could adopt at will; rather, he came to found the community of the Church. Within that community, we’re supposed to be as tightly joined to one another as the members of a physical body. For an isolated individual or family, poverty entails a damaging lack of security. The only way to attain security as an individual is through the accumulation of wealth.

The pursuit of such individual security is harshly condemned by the Gospel. What is often missed, however, is that Christians are called to replace the individual security based on accumulating wealth with the security that comes from being part of a loving community. The rich fool with his barns was condemned, while the first Christian communities described in Acts shared their goods to such an extent that “there was no needy person among them”. (Acts 4:34) If we’re going to tell the poor to trust in God, then we have to get busy and ensure that their trust is not in vain. We have to act as the agents of God’s providence; otherwise, as St. James tells us, our faith is dead." (James 2:14-17)

I realized that much of my current state of contentment is that my family and I already possess the pearl of great price--the assurance of salvation in Christ. I have meaning and purpose in my life because I actively try to conform my life and will to His, and meaning and purpose are two major ingredients for happiness. Cultivating gratitude as well, which we do by recalling our blessings and all God has given us. We have a good, caring community of other Catholics. We help those in need financially. We are not alone, and have one another as well. What more could I ask for? 

But the Devil is wiley. He was working in Ananias and Sapphira, whom Peter harshly admonished for holding back part of the money intended for the Apostles for themselves (Acts 5:1-11), while they themselves were struck dead. I think the greatest hurdle to overcome myself is that 'holding back', not trusting completely the Lord God who says, "Test me in this, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it" (Mal 3:10). 

What is a work-in-progress is the way of perfection, and perfection is--well, perfected--the closer we move towards confidence in God and not individual reliance. To the degree that confidence is strengthened , those things which strengthen it should be pursued and the things which threaten it should be kept guard against. 

To circle back to the issue of the virtue of prudence: prudence applies universal principals to particular situations. Whereas the WEF dictates the universal to the particular: "you will own nothing and be happy," the Christian realizes that private property is a right and good, "pre-eminently in conformity with human nature" (Pope Leo XIII). And yet when we give the poor to alleviate their destitution or want, as St. James indicts us regarding (Jas 2:14-17), we "are handing over to him what is his. For what has been given in common for the use of all you have arrogated to yourself" (Populorum progressio, no. 23). 

I think one thing that is worth remembering is if all things are a gift from God to be used in His service, it is a great privilege to use wealth--should we be afforded it--in the service of others rather than on our own amusement, diversion, or accumulation of goods. The change in perspective fulfills what St. Paul writes: God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor 9:7). The opportunity to give, then, becomes the gift. This does not even depend on wealth per se, but the heart. For the widow's mite had infinitely more value because it was given not out of abundance but out of need, even though its value was minuscule. Despite the fact that the parents of St. John Vianney were not rich, they practiced great hospitality toward the poor and needy. Evening after evening a number of poor and needy wayfarers were set at table at the the family meal. Many times the elder Vianney would bestow his own share upon some belated arrival. This noble example made a profound impression upon the boy’s pious disposition.

How we carry out this charge we have been tasked with as Christians rests on this virtue of prudence to apply these universal principals (charity) to particular situations. In the manner or to the degree we do so depends on our individual or family circumstances and state in life; but that we do so as a universal injunction we cannot excuse ourselves from.