The Passion of the Love of Money

THE SOUL, THEN, IS TRIPARTITE and contemplated in three powers: the intelligent, the incensive, and the desiring. All of these have become diseased, and Christ readily heals each, commencing with therapy from the last power - the desiring. For the root of anger is unfulfilled desire; and this diseased condition inclines the mind towards diffusion. Thus, it is impossible to heal the incensive power of the soul unless the desiring power is previously cured; nor is there a cure for the intelligent power unless both other powers - incensive and desiring - are healed beforehand.

Examining the issue, it will be discovered that the first evil offspring of the desiring power is the love of possessions. The instincts of self-preservation are not condemned in human beings, since they develop in us from a tender age. However, the love of money becomes apparent a little later, growing already in childhood. Hence it is manifested as not being part of nature, but has its beginning in the freedom of choice. The divine Paul correctly names this the “root of all evil.” Some evil offspring are born of this, for example: stinginess, extortion, pillaging, thievry, and simply all kinds of greed, which the same Apostle entitles, “another idolatry.” These other evils do not sprout directly from the love of money, but it nearly provides all with the material conditions for their inception.

All of this, then, which is born out of the love of earthly things, are among the passions of the soul which has no zeal toward good works. But it is easier to be delivered from these passions which have their beginning in freedom of choice than from those which have their beginning in nature. Passions which are produced from the love of money become invincible when one loses faith in the providence of God. For the one who does not believe, trusts in money. And such a person who hears the saying of the Lord, “that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom,” considers the kingdom as nothing - even the heavenly and everlasting kingdom! - and still yearns for wealth, which is both earthly and transient.

Those who crave such riches do not obtain them, and they are injured enormously by the desire itself. For, according to what Paul says, “ they who yearn to be rich fall into temptations and the snares of the devil.” But if they inherit it, then it proves to be worthless and a custom to others, which presents them as ones who do not possess it and who moreover do not have, through experience, an enlightened intellect. For this greedy desire does not stem from indigence, as it is more likely to be the opposite: the poverty and they humiliation which comes from this greed, stem from foolishness.

Hence, Christ the Master justly called foolish the one who was born of this greed, who tore down the older barns and built new ones. For how is such a person not foolish, if, for the sake of that which cannot profit one - “for a person’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions” - the person sacrifices that which is profitable, instead of becoming a wise merchant by cutting down on one’s needs, according to one’s abilities, making one’s net wealth greater, by honest trade and sowing, which brings much profit and abundant fruits? This is the sowing that increases a hundredfold the sowed seed prior to the approaching time of harvest. By this is demonstrated the future profit and abundance which will be reaped at the time of the inexpressible and incomprehensible harvest. And what is most paradoxical is that the poorer the sower, the more abundant the fruit one reaps.

Besides this, in no way can the desire for wealth be justified under the pretext of doing good to human beings. These lovers of money in no way trust in the One who promised that He will add all things to those who seek first the kingdom of God. They are always unbelieving, and have this “doing good to others” as a pretense, clothing themselves in all things, which in no way allows them to conceal this sickness and destructive craving for wealth. But forever gathering possessions, they bring upon themselves useless burdens, or better said , they dig for themselves during their lifetime a most novel grave. For like the dead who are simply buried in the earth, so too the intellect of the lover of money who is still living is buried in earthly gold. And this grave of such a person stinks more than those who have healthy senses. And the stench becomes worse the more dirt is heaped upon. For it is a wretched ulcer which consumes the one who is conquered by it; and its odor is brought up to heaven and to the angels of God and to God.

As a result of this, they become abominable and human beings truly revolting, as David said: “My wounds stink and fester because of my foolishness.” These people can only be released from this stench - filled and death-creating passion by willful poverty with benevolence toward human beings. This, then, is what “poor in spirit” means, which the Lord called “blessed.”

Otherwise, a monastic, having such a passion, is unable to be obedient. Besides this, if one is persistent in the love of money, there becomes a great concern that this one will become vulnerable to terrible bodily evils. Gehazi and Judas, of the Old and New Testaments respectively, are sufficient evidence. The first [ Gehazi], “went out a leper,” which is proof of the incurability of the soul; and the other [Judas], “at the field of blood bought with the wages of wickedness - and falling headlong - burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out.” If renunciation precedes obedience, how then shall one possibly receive that which follows [obedience] without that which precedes it? If this renunciation is the fundamental principle and foundations of the monastic way of life, how then shall one press onward in other good things and their corresponding labors, unless one first renounces money?

For what does a monastic gains if one practices silence in one’s own cell, devoting oneself to solitude and the offering up of prayers, but does not stand this test of obedience? “For where your treasure is,” says the Lord, “there will your intellect be?” How can one whose treasure is on earth, noetically gaze towards “He who sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high”? How then can one inherit the kingdom of which this passion does not allow the intellect to perceive purely? For these reasons, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

SOURCE : Treatise on the Spiritual Life - Saint Gregory Palamas