The danger of greed. Only a generous person can be happy and saved.

There is nothing wrong with owning something; it just depends on how we use this gift. In today’s Gospel, Jesus uses a situation where one of the crowds asks him for help in a dispute over the property to make it clear to us the right relationship to stuff. Therefore, he says, “Beware of every covetousness” (Luke 12:15).

In some Scriptural translations, we find the word greed instead of greed. These two minerals are very close, both related to the mishandling of property. We understand greed as an exaggerated desire for wealth, and greed is when we do not want to share the good we own. These two sins cannot be separated from each other because otherwise, we would have a generous greedy or a humble greedy. The fruit of greed are a sinful attachment to matter. The mean man is ultimately attached to what he loved more than God. The value becomes for him an idol and, simultaneously, a punishment. And greed is also idolatry because we care more and seek property, and neglect God’s commandments. Today, the modern claim is that only the strongest will survive in life. And what is meant by that? That success is guaranteed only by those who do not look at others and have complete and sharp elbows. Greed and greed obscure our eyes, which we then focus only on property and forget about the fundamental values.

And what does Jesus say to such people? “A fool! Still tonight, they will ask you for your life, and what have you earned, what will it be? “Crazy! A very harsh word we call those who do not use reason. Today it is modern to have as much as possible and then one is satisfied and happy. But the reality it shows something else, and we must repeat with St. Augustine, “A man’s heart is unhappy until it rests in you, God.” Every good we have, including property, is a gift from God, and we must use it not only for our benefit but also for our neighbors’ help. The more property we own, the greater our responsibility for how we dispose of it. But let’s remember the story of a rich man from the parable who lived in luxury and ignored Lazarus the beggar. We do not think that if we live like this rich man, our destiny will not catch up with us. Wealth has never made people happy.

The three primary means of spiritual growth include prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Alms is the cure for all greed and greed. It is a voluntary help to those who are worse off than us, and we certainly have enough of such people around us. It is said that we will only take to heaven what we have given during our lifetime. How often we resemble Jesus’ listeners who sought and did not see, listen and did not understand. We think of ourselves that we are good at many things, and it is true. The Chinese sage Confucius says, “A wise man avoids three things. In the youth of sensuality. When he reaches the masculine age, militancy. When he reaches old age, greed.” But greed and greed attack a person of all ages.