Covetousness is greed, self-interest, an exorbitant desire for enrichment (human sins and misfortunes). And everything is not enough for people, they want more of all kinds of benefits. And when the desired is achieved, new needs arise that exceed the previous ones.
Definition
From the foregoing, it becomes clear that covetousness is an exorbitant desire to acquire wealth beyond all measure, exceeding normal human needs. This is how covetousness is interpreted in Christianity, in religious treatises. Moreover, it is noted that with covetousness a person forgets God and stops caring about his neighbor.
Synonyms
If we use synonyms, we can say that covetousness is self-interest, love of money, money-grubbing, greed, gold-loving and self-interest. These terms are found in speech more often than "covetousness", while the meaning is approximately the same.
Material benefit always prevails over other manifestations of feelings, if the person himself is spiritually weak, greedy for money and profit. Such people can betray friends or loved ones for the sake of their enrichment. They are alien to bright thoughts, noble deeds. Most often, gluttony and pride go along with greed.
About sin
In the Orthodox faith, the sin of covetousness is considered akin to idolatry. This is explained by the fact that money and wealth are idols, and worshiping them is a sin. This is how covetousness seems to us. In Christianity, idolatry is unacceptable. "Evil mother of all evils" - that is how greed is called by the preachers. They believe that anyone who loves the world of acquisitiveness and self-interest, thereby darkens the soul (preacher Isaiah).
A covetous person can never stop, say, "Enough is enough." So thought St. Basil the Great. He spoke of the sea, which never goes beyond its limits, and of the night, which does not leave its time limits. So is a money-grubbing person - he does not respect time and does not honor limits.
Preacher Ephraim Sirin said that there can be no love next to covetousness. He who is addicted to money hates his neighbors and seeks to take something away from them.
The love of money and gain is sometimes so strong that a person completely loses his face. He goes further and further away from God in his incessant pursuit of material goods. His soul does not receive the proper lessons that were intended for it from above. Thus, the spiritual degradation of the human being occurs. That is why the Orthodox faith considers covetousness a sin.
bible about covetousness
Let's also talk about what covetousness is in the Bible. The Word of God does not leave aside this problem and reveals the concept, correlating it with similar vices:
- Covetousness and covetousness. Anyone who is an idolater (covetous) "will not be an heir to the Kingdom of God", and the love of money is the root of all other vices.
- Greed, covetousness. They come from the very heart of a person and defile his soul. These qualities are accomplices of greed. Bribery and covetous - wicked people, unrighteous, "do not inherit the Kingdom of God."
- Greed (greed). It is able to take away vitality (and life itself) from "hungry for someone else's good."
- Avarice. "He who sows sparingly" will only reap a miserly harvest. It differs from greed only in that it preserves and protects the already existing own good. And those who love to give, God loves them.
- Greed. A sin that is punished by God. For all clergy, the absence of self-interested thoughts is a mandatory feature.
- Envy. The Bible says that if an envious person "hastens to riches," then poverty will surely overtake him.
- Selfishness. The feeling "not of this world", not given to man by the Father.
- Gluttony. The love of silver will not lead to saturation, and the love of wealth will not give a person any benefit (“human eyes are insatiable”). The constant desire to get rich or receive other benefits the Bible calls vanity: "And this is vanity and an evil deed."
Also in the Bible it is written that those people who protect their hands from bribes and "despise self-interest" will "dwell on high places." And they will always have bread and water necessary for life.
Instructive sermon
The Evangelical Christian Baptist Church has also expressed its attitude towards vice. By creating one of his sermons - a sermon on greed (ECB). Covetousness in it is a key subject of discussion.
The sermon says that in our time from everywhere: from the media, television programs comes a large number of information about money, about the desire to earn it, about ways to achieve financial heights. This is what leads to covetousness among the younger generation.
All large quantity people because of the thirst for profit forget about other people, sometimes dependent on them. They let out-of-service planes take to the skies and put more passengers on ships than they can carry.
Thirst for profit should not ruin human lives is the key idea of the sermon. Covetousness is something that "overshadows a person's mind and does not allow, at times, to think sensibly."
Covetousness Examples
We will talk about the fact that there are a lot of examples of covetousness in life. Moreover, there are extreme forms of manifestation of this quality, when a person's personality is completely lost, disappears. Instead, a new creature is born, sometimes only remotely resembling the original appearance. The writers in the images of the heroes of the works presented us with examples of their understanding of what covetousness means.
"Dead Souls"
Sometimes the most extreme forms of covetousness were described by the classics of Russian literature. For example, N.V. Gogol used his synonym - hoarding. Showing that sometimes a fantastic inhuman greed for profit, money is born. Moreover, hoarding completely deforms the personality, gives birth to "monsters".
The novel "Dead Souls" can be called a magnificent catalog in which the author vividly and figuratively presented some varieties of covetous people. Let's look at them with examples:
- Covetousness leading to greed. The most striking example is Plyushkin. Gogol deliberately exaggerated the image, creating a kind of "matrix" of hoarding. The hero completely lost the appearance of a man, saved up and collected everything indiscriminately, became greedy not only in relation to relatives, but also to himself. All his thoughts were directed only at increasing the accumulated "trash", into which wealth was slowly turning. Gogol called Plyushkin "a tear in humanity."
- Covetousness leading to carnal excesses. Manilov and his wife are vivid images of gluttons and "life burners". Hearty, delicious food, rest for the body, bliss and bodily pleasures - only this became the circle of interests of the married couple.
- Covetousness, leading only to commercial efficiency, primitive thinking. The landowner Korobochka is a stupid, narrow-minded creature, surrounded by numerous featherbeds, pillows, stocks and blanks. All her thoughts are occupied only with the formation of her personal space, filling it with all sorts of "benefits", as well as the opportunity to sell something. On all other topics, Korobochka cannot speak, her brain works in a narrowly focused, primitive way.
- Another example of covetousness, leading to deceit, the desire to deceive for the sake of profit, is the hero of the novel Sobakevich. He is a player whose soul has long since become vicious and cunning. The hero deceives everyone who gets in his way. If he plays, then it is dishonest; if he tells something, he lies on the go. He himself does not know why he lies at every step. Sobakevich does this automatically.
Gogol laid out for us, the readers, the images of covetous people: misers, liars and gluttons. In his ranks there is also the unforgettable Chichikov - main character novel, which brought to life a scam unsurpassed in its impudence - bought up " dead Souls". This is another kind of covetousness, when under the guise of "good intentions" questions of one's own benefit are resolved.
What unites literary heroes
In any kind of covetousness described by N.V. Gogol, there is one common feature- loss of human form. Transformation of personality into the likeness of people. But most importantly, their souls are "dead". This is what the classic wanted to pass on to posterity.
If you look back, you can see in modern world chichikovyh, plushkin, boxes or dogs. They are real, tangible, they can be seen and heard next to us and from TV screens. Among the covetous there are instances that have absorbed several of the described images.
gobsek
Honore de Balzac made the image of Gobsek immortal - another classic example of covetousness and hoarding. On the example of the protagonist, we see how natural talents, honesty, nobility can be destroyed due to acquisitiveness and profit.
Gobsek is a wealthy pawnbroker who has amassed millions. His greed is such that he leads a very modest life, denying himself everything. He excluded from the life of relatives only in order not to share wealth with them. All thoughts are absorbed exclusively by profit. The hero is estranged from God and from earthly desires, he is terrible and sinister.
In fact, this is how a person became an obsessed "guardian" of accumulated wealth. His soul is dead, and Gobsek considers gold the only reliable "earthly good" worth striving for. So, in his work, Honore de Balzac showed the destructive power of money and showed his understanding of what the word "covetousness" means.
"Jew" Golovlev
The clearest example of a covetous man in Russian literature is Porfiry Golovlev in Saltykov-Shchedrin's "Lord Golovlev". The nickname "Judas" was not given to him by chance, it hints at the personal qualities of the hero of the work. Porfiry also had other nicknames: "Nettle", "Blood Drinker".
For the sake of acquisitiveness and profit, Porfiry Golovlev pretended from childhood and adjusted to the circumstances. He was helpful with his domineering mother and denounced his brothers. From an early age, he "reconciled" to future gain, and when he matured, he was able to rob his brothers and make his own mother a host. And Judas did not spare his children: he did not help with money, he refused, he threw them out of his life.
Cynicism, heartlessness, hypocrisy, deceit, love of money - the qualities that Saltykov-Shchedrin endowed Judas. The writer, in his characteristic manner, caustically and sharply described the human vice - the sin of covetousness.
Myths and sayings of great people
From Ancient Greece the myth of the king with donkey ears, Midas, has come down to us. The ruler once rendered a small service to Dionysius, the ancient Greek god, and in return wished that any object that Midas touched would be immediately turned into gold. Such desire became the curse of the greedy man. The king even turned his food into a precious metal, and in the end he almost died. The curse was lifted with great difficulty.
This myth conveys to us the idea of how covetousness can destroy a person.
The philosopher Socrates said that what can be called real wealth is not the presence of a lot of things or money, but the ability to do without the same amount of them. But to understand and embody this idea is the fate of only highly spiritual, moral people.
Covetousness is excessive concern for wealth and the acquisition of earthly goods. Covetousness is concern for earthly goods in excess of what is necessary for life, when a person takes more care of himself, neglecting love for God and neighbor. The sin of covetousness refers to idolatry, since an idol is an object of deification, and a person who loves wealth (covetous) deifies wealth and serves it, protecting it and increasing it at any cost.
The Apostle Paul says: covetousness is idolatry (Col. 3:5), and also "... know that no fornicator, or unclean, or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God" (Eph. 5: 5).
The Lord Jesus Christ warns that one cannot serve two masters: “No one can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other; or he will be zealous for one, and neglect the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Mt 6:24).
There is no need to take care of anything beyond what is necessary for life and make efforts for satiety and splendor: one must be free from all acquisition and panache.
What is covetousness? The fact that the limit of the law is transgressed, and a person cares more about himself than about his neighbor.
Saint Basil the Great
Let the satisfaction of need be the limit of your concern for life with what you have. Covetousness gives no rest to its servant, who, the more he works, serving the dictates of the master and acquiring according to his wishes, the more he is forced to work. ... For the torment of covetousness exceeds the measure of any cruelty. Having enslaved the poor soul, it always compels the fulfillment of its insatiable desires, incessantly taking into itself and never being filled, like some kind of many-headed beast, with thousands of jaws transferring food into an insatiable womb, not only not in the least satiated, but always kindled by the desire for more.
Saint Gregory of Nyssa
A sinful person loves a lot of money, but neglects the truth, not thinking about infidelity, inconstancy and short life, not remembering the incorruptibility and inevitability of death. If, however, someone even in old age lives so shamefully and senselessly, then he, like a rotten tree, is not fit for any work.
Saint Anthony the Great
With covetousness there can be no love. Yes, and how should she be? He who is addicted to money hates his brother, trying to take something away from him... If you go the way to the Kingdom, do not burden yourself with anything, for it is not pleasing to God that you enter His chamber burdened with a burden. If you are going to the Kingdom, throw off the superfluous. Will you lack anything in the Kingdom? Be prudent. God calls you to His Meal; drop every burden. Get ready for a journey without burdens and go with God to His Kingdom. He is looking for you so that you can go with Him and live with Him in His chamber. Look, the Kingdom of God is within you, sinner. Enter into yourself, seek the Kingdom there, and without difficulty you will find it. Do not chase after the acquisition of an estate, break out of the nets of lust, from the snares of sin, from the wilds of covetousness. Enter into yourself, live in yourself, in inner silence, with a moderate and pure soul, with a calm and humble spirit. Enter into yourself and look for the Kingdom of God there, it is really there, as the Lord Himself taught us in the Gospel. God dwells in the soul that loves God, and His Kingdom is there, and that is why He says that “the Kingdom of God is within us” (Luke 17:21). So, let us break free from the nets of the outer world and let us seek the Kingdom of God in our souls; Until we find him there, we will not stop looking. And if it has not yet settled in us, let us seek, as the Lord taught us: "Our Father ... Thy Kingdom come," and it will come if we ask for it.
Saint Ephraim the Syrian
If He who created everything by the one Word did not have “where to lay his head” (Matt. 8:20), then you, unfortunate person, why do you indulge in worries about vain things, why are you blinded by insane gluttony? Consider this and choose what is good for you. Covetousness is the evil mother of all evils. The soul is not able to overcome the uprisings of spirits if it is not freed from all the cares and cares of this world.
Reverend Abba Isaiah
What a person loves in this world, then burdens his thought, attracts and bends to the ground, does not allow it to rise.
Saint Macarius of Egypt
the founder of their monastery, they had a custom on Maundy Thursday to all the poor who came to them, widows and orphans to give out a certain amount of wheat, wine and honey, and five copper coins each. But one day there was a crop failure in the vicinity of the monastery and bread began to be sold at a high price. Fasting came, and the brethren said to the abbot: “Father, do not distribute wheat this year, because we have little of it, we will have to buy at a high price and our monastery will become impoverished.” The abbot replied: “Why should we leave the blessing of our father? He will take care of our food, and it is not good for us to transgress his commandment.” The monks, however, did not stop stubbornness and said: “It’s not enough for us, we won’t give it!”. The saddened abbot, seeing that his exhortations were leading nowhere, said: “Well, do as you like.” The day of distribution came, and the poor left empty-handed. But what happened? When after this the monk entered the granary, he saw to his horror that all the wheat was moldy and spoiled. Everyone knew about it. And the abbot said: “Whoever transgresses the commandments of the abbot, he is punished. Previously, we distributed five hundred measures of wheat, but now we have destroyed five thousand measures and have done a double evil: we have transgressed the commandment of our father and put our hope not in God, but in our barns.
"Prologue in Teachings"
- CURIOUSNESS in the Bible Encyclopedia of Nicephorus:
(Col 3:5) - excessive concern for wealth and the acquisition of earthly goods. This sin, forbidden by the second commandment, belongs to idolatry. Ap. … - CURIOUSNESS in the Full accentuated paradigm according to Zaliznyak:
covetousness, covetousness, covetousness, covetousness, covetousness, covetousness, covetousness, covetousness, covetousness, covetousness, covetousness, covetousness, covetousness, covetousness, covetousness, ... - CURIOUSNESS
cm. … - CURIOUSNESS
covetousness, greed... - CURIOUSNESS in the New explanatory and derivational dictionary of the Russian language Efremova:
- CURIOUSNESS in the Dictionary of the Russian Language Lopatin:
covetousness, ... - CURIOUSNESS in the Complete Spelling Dictionary of the Russian Language:
covetousness… - CURIOUSNESS in the Spelling Dictionary:
covetousness, ... - CURIOUSNESS in the Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language Ushakov:
covetousness, pl. no, cf. (bookish obsolete). Greed for money... - CURIOUSNESS in the New Dictionary of the Russian Language Efremova:
cf. obsolete Passion for profit; … - CURIOUSNESS in the Big Modern explanatory dictionary Russian language:
cf. obsolete Passion for profit; … - CORRECTIVITY in the Concise Church Slavonic Dictionary:
- extortion, extortion, covetousness, ... - IDOLATRY in the Bible Dictionary:
- worship of false gods and idols, offering sacrifices to them, placing hopes on them. Idolatry arose shortly after the flood in the first... - BIBLE (07) in the Bible Dictionary:
cockle | styrax | bush | capital | bushes | guard (period) | lampada | stern | lanita | stu… - CORRECTIVITY in the Orthodox Encyclopedia Tree:
Open Orthodox Encyclopedia "TREE". Covetousness is a kind of sin. According to the definition of St. Philaret of Moscow: when, under the guise of some law, ... - COL 3
- EVIL in the Orthodox Encyclopedia Tree.
- EF 5 in the Orthodox Encyclopedia Tree.
- Dante Alighieri in the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Euphron:
(1265-1821) - the greatest ancient Italian poet, the only one of the medieval ones, whom we not only study, but also continue to read, whose images and ... - Paganism Greco-Roman
¬ 1) Animism in the narrow sense of the word (the cult of souls). We must recognize the oldest stage of the Greco-Roman religion as that which is for ... - Dante Alighieri in the Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron:
(1265?1821) ? the greatest ancient Italian poet, the only one of the medieval ones, whom we not only study, but also continue to read, whose images and ... - greed in the Dictionary of synonyms of Abramov:
covetousness, greed, greed, selfishness, covetousness, avarice. Prot. . Wed … - SELF-SELF in the dictionary of Synonyms of the Russian language:
greed, greed, selfishness, greed, greed, covetousness, mercantilism, commercialism, selfishness, pride, selfishness, selfishness, greed, selfishness, ...
Covetousness
Covetousness is excessive concern for wealth and the acquisition of earthly goods. Covetousness is concern for earthly goods in excess of what is necessary for life, when a person takes more care of himself, neglecting love for God and neighbor.
The sin of covetousness refers to idolatry, since an idol is an object of deification, and a person who loves wealth (covetous) deifies wealth and serves it, protecting it and increasing it at any cost.
The Apostle Paul says: covetousness is idolatry (Col. 3:5), and also "... know that no fornicator, or unclean, or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God" (Eph. 5: 5).
The Lord Jesus Christ warns that one cannot serve two masters: “No one can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other; or he will be zealous for one, and neglect the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Mt 6:24).
“You don’t have to worry about anything beyond what is necessary for life and make efforts to be satiated and pompous: you need to be clean from all acquisition and panache.
What is covetousness? The fact that the limit of the law is transgressed, and a person cares more about himself than about his neighbor. Saint Basil the Great
“Let your concern for life be the satisfaction of need with what you have.
Covetousness gives no rest to its servant, who, the more he works, serving the dictates of the master and acquiring according to his wishes, the more he is forced to work.
... For the torment of covetousness surpasses the measure of any cruelty. Having enslaved the poor soul, it always compels the fulfillment of its insatiable desires, incessantly taking into itself and never being filled, like some kind of many-headed beast, transferring food with thousands of jaws to an insatiable womb, not only not in the least satiated, but always kindled by the desire for more. Saint Gregory of Nyssa
“A sinful person loves a lot of money, but neglects the truth, not thinking about infidelity, inconstancy and short life, not remembering the incorruptibility and inevitability of death. But if someone even in old age lives so shamefully and senselessly, then he, like a rotten tree, is not suitable for any work. Venerable Anthony the Great
“With covetousness there can be no love. Yes, and how should she be? He who is addicted to money hates his brother, trying to take something away from him...
If you are on the path to the Kingdom, do not burden yourself with anything, for it is not pleasing to God that you enter His chamber burdened with a burden. If you are going to the Kingdom, throw off the superfluous. Will you lack anything in the Kingdom? Be prudent. God calls you to His Meal; drop every burden. Get ready for a journey without burdens and go with God to His Kingdom. He is looking for you so that you can go with Him and live with Him in His chamber. Look, the Kingdom of God is within you, sinner. Enter into yourself, seek the Kingdom there, and without difficulty you will find it. Do not chase after the acquisition of an estate, break out of the nets of lust, from the snares of sin, from the wilds of covetousness. Enter into yourself, live in yourself, in inner silence, with a moderate and pure soul, with a calm and humble spirit. Enter into yourself and look for the Kingdom of God there, it is really there, as the Lord Himself taught us in the Gospel. God dwells in the soul that loves God, and His Kingdom is there, and that is why He says that "the Kingdom of God is within us" (Luke 17:21). So, let us break free from the nets of the outer world and let us seek the Kingdom of God in our souls; Until we find him there, we will not stop looking. And if it has not yet settled in us, we will seek, as the Lord taught us: "Our Father ... Thy Kingdom come," and it will come if we ask for it. Venerable Ephraim the Syrian
“Strong and ready for anything love for acquisition, not knowing satiety, forces the captive soul to go to the extreme limit of evils. Let us reflect it, especially at the very beginning, so that it does not become invincible.
As there is no sea without waves, so the soul, immersed in worries, is without sorrows, without fear; the first ones are followed by others, they are replaced by third ones, and before they have time to subside, new ones rise up.
Nothing subjects us to the devil so much as desire for more and covetousness.
When an evil habit or passion for covetousness will greatly deceive you, arm yourself against them with this thought: I will receive a great reward by despising temporary pleasure. Say to your soul: you grieve that I deprive you of pleasure, but rejoice, because I am preparing Heaven for you. You work not for man, but for God; be patient a little and you will see what benefit will come from this; stay firm in the present life and you will receive unspeakable freedom. If in this way we converse with the soul, if we represent not only the burden of virtue, but also its crown, then we will soon distract it from all evil.
A person who is too busy with earthly affairs cannot properly assimilate heavenly things, but by necessity, taking care of one thing, is deprived of another.
The soul, once captivated by covetousness, can no longer easily and conveniently restrain itself from doing or saying something that angers God, since it has become the slave of another master who commands her everything that is contrary to God.
Love for wealth is not a natural passion ... Why did it intensify? From vanity and extreme carelessness.
The covetous man distances himself from God, as does the idolater.
Cursed be the altar of covetousness! If you come to the altar of idols, you smell from it the blood of goats and the blood of bulls; if you approach the altar of covetousness, you will smell the heavy smell of human blood. And if you stop here, you will not see any burning birds, nor the smell from them and the rising smoke - you will see human lives sacrificed. Some rushed off the steep, others threw a noose on themselves, others cut their throats. You have seen the victims rude and inhuman. Do you want to see even more cruel ones? I will show you not only human bodies, but also slain human souls. The slaughter of souls is predominantly performed on the altar of covetousness.
How long will this fury of gain continue? How long will the inextinguishable furnace burn? Don't you know that this flame turns into an eternal unquenchable fire?
How to extinguish the flame of covetousness? Can be extinguished even if it has risen to the sky. One has only to want - and we, no doubt, will overcome this flame. As it is strengthened by our desire, so it will be destroyed by desire. Wasn't it our free will that set it on fire? Consequently, free will will be able to extinguish, only we wish. But how can such a desire appear in us? If we pay attention to the vanity and uselessness of wealth, to the fact that it cannot accompany us to Eternal Life; that here too it leaves us; that even if it is here, the wounds from it go with us there. If we look at how great the riches prepared there are, and if we compare earthly wealth with them, then it will seem more insignificant than dirt. If we notice that it exposes countless dangers, that it gives only temporary pleasure mixed with grief, if we carefully consider other wealth, that is, that which is prepared in Eternal Life, then we will. be able to despise earthly wealth. If we delve into the fact that wealth does not in the least increase fame, health, or anything else, but, on the contrary, plunges us into the abyss of death, if we find out that despite the fact that you are rich here and have many subordinates, departing there, you will go away alone and naked - if we often repeat all this and hear from others, then perhaps health will return to us, and we will get rid of this heavy punishment.
As much as the soul is higher than the body, so much harder are the wounds that we inflict on ourselves every day with worries combined with fear and apprehension.
Your hands are given for you to stretch out for prayer, but if you do not behave soberly, you stretch them out for covetousness.
Let's throw off the burden of sins, like Zacchaeus... Let's stop kidnapping and start giving alms. For if one lifts the fallen one like charity, and the other pulls him to the ground like self-interest, such a battle of opposing forces would tear a person apart. So, so that this does not happen to us, let not covetousness draw us to the ground and let alms do not leave us; so we will become light and take off.” Saint John Chrysostom
Common to all its industries.
The sin of covetousness refers to idolatry, says the Word of God:
Therefore, put to death your earthly members: fornication, impurity, passion, evil lust, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
(Col. 3, 5)
... no fornicator, or unclean, or covetous person, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God.
(Eph. 5:5).
The Lord Jesus Christ says:
What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
(Matthew 16:26)
19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal,
20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal,
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 The lamp for the body is the eye. So if your eye is clear, then your whole body will be bright;
23 But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be dark. So if the light that is in you is darkness, then what is the darkness?
24 No one can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other; or he will be zealous for one, and neglect the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
25 Therefore I say to you, worry not for your soul what you should eat or drink, nor for your body what you should wear. Is not the soul more than food, and the body more than clothes?
26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you much better than them?
27 And which of you, by taking care, can add even one cubit to his stature?
28 And why are you concerned about clothing? Look at the lilies of the field, how they grow: neither toil nor spin;
29 but I tell you that even Solomon in all his glory did not dress like one of them;
30 But if the grass of the field, which is today, and tomorrow will be thrown into the oven, God so clothes, how much more than you, you of little faith!
31 So worry not, and say, What shall we eat? or what to drink? Or what to wear?
32 because all these things are sought by the Gentiles, and because your Father in heaven knows that you have need of all this.
33 Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:24-25)
(Matthew 6)
23 And looking around, Jesus said to his disciples, How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!
24 The disciples were horrified at his words. But Jesus again says to them in answer: children! How difficult it is for those who trust in riches to enter the Kingdom of God!
25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
26 And they were exceedingly astonished, and said among themselves, Who then can be saved?
27 Jesus looked at them and said, It is impossible for men, but not for God, for all things are possible with God.
(Mark 10)
Saint Basil the Great:
There is no need to take care of anything beyond what is necessary for life and make efforts for satiety and splendor: one must be free from all acquisition and panache. What is covetousness? The fact that the limit of the law is transgressed, and a person cares more about himself than about his neighbor.
St. John Chrysostom speaks about the cause of the passion of covetousness in a person:
Love for wealth is not a natural passion ... Why did it intensify? From vanity and extreme carelessness.
The soul, once captivated by covetousness, can no longer easily and conveniently restrain itself from doing or saying something that angers God, since it has become the slave of another master who commands her everything that is contrary to God.
As there is no sea without waves, so the soul, immersed in worries, is without sorrows, without fear; the first ones are followed by others, they are replaced by third ones, and before they have time to subside, new ones rise up.
Nothing subjects us to the devil so much as desire for more and covetousness.
Venerable Anthony the Great says that acquisitiveness will be born on the soil of unrighteousness, forgetfulness of the memory of death and the fear of God:
A sinful person loves a lot of money, but neglects the truth, not thinking about infidelity, inconstancy and short life, not remembering the incorruptibility and inevitability of death. If, however, someone even in old age lives so shamefully and senselessly, then he, like a rotten tree, is not fit for any work.
The holy fathers speak of the fatality of covetousness:
Saint Isidore Pelusiot:
Of people who are covetous and offenders, some know, while others do not know, that they sin incurably. For the inability to feel the ailment in which you are is the result of an increase in insensitivity, which ends in complete insensitivity and mortification. Therefore, such people are most to be pitied. To do evil is more pitiable than to suffer evil. Those who do evil (offending people because of covetousness) are in extreme danger, and for those who suffer, the damage concerns only property. Moreover, the former do not feel their pure mortification ... like children who put nothing into what is truly terrible, and can put their hands into the fire, and when they see a shadow, they come to fear and tremble. A similar thing happens with lovers of acquisition: fearing poverty, which is not terrible, but also protects from many evils and contributes to a modest way of thinking, they mistake for something great unrighteous wealth, which is more terrible than fire, because it turns into dust both the thoughts and hopes of those who possess them.
Rev. Abba Isaiah:
Covetousness is the evil mother of all evils.
Rev. Ephraim the Syrian:
With covetousness there can be no love. Yes, and how should she be? He who is addicted to money hates his brother, trying to take something away from him...
Saint Gregory of Nyssa:
Covetousness gives no rest to its servant, who, the more he works, serving the dictates of the master and acquiring according to his wishes, the more he is forced to work.
For the torment of covetousness surpasses the measure of all cruelty. Having enslaved the poor soul, it always compels the fulfillment of its insatiable desires, incessantly taking into itself and never being filled, like some kind of many-headed beast, with thousands of jaws transferring food into an insatiable womb, not only not in the least satiated, but always kindled by the desire for more.
The holy fathers write about how to struggle with the passion of covetousness:
St. John Chrysostom gives advice on how to overcome the passion of covetousness in yourself:
How to extinguish the flame of covetousness? Can be extinguished even if it has risen to the sky. One has only to want - and we, no doubt, will overcome this flame. As it is strengthened by our desire, so it will be destroyed by desire. Wasn't it our free will that set it on fire? Consequently, free will will be able to extinguish, only we wish. But how can such a desire appear in us? If we pay attention to the vanity and uselessness of wealth, to the fact that it cannot accompany us to Eternal Life; that here too it leaves us; that even if it is here, the wounds from it go with us there. If we look at how great the riches prepared there are, and if we compare earthly wealth with them, then it will seem more insignificant than dirt. If we notice that it exposes countless dangers, that it gives only temporary pleasure mixed with grief, if we carefully consider other wealth, that is, that which is prepared in Eternal Life, then we will have the opportunity to despise earthly wealth. If we delve into the fact that wealth does not in the least increase fame, health, or anything else, but, on the contrary, plunges us into the abyss of death, if we find out that despite the fact that you are rich here and have many subordinates, departing there, you will go away alone and naked - if we often repeat all this and hear from others, then perhaps health will return to us, and we will get rid of this heavy punishment.
Strong and ready for anything love for acquisition, not knowing satiety, forces the captive soul to go to the extreme limit of evils. Let us reflect it, especially at the very beginning, so that it does not become invincible.
When an evil habit or passion for covetousness will greatly deceive you, arm yourself against them with this thought: I will receive a great reward by despising temporary pleasure. Say to your soul: you grieve that I deprive you of pleasure, but rejoice, because I am preparing Heaven for you. You work not for man, but for God; be patient a little and you will see what benefit will come from this; stay firm in the present life and you will receive unspeakable freedom. If in this way we converse with the soul, if we represent not only the burden of virtue, but also its crown, then we will soon distract it from all evil.
Your hands are given for you to stretch out for prayer, but if you do not behave soberly, you stretch them out for covetousness.
Rev. Ephraim the Syrian:
Why do we not throw off all useless cares and lighten ourselves from the burden of earthly things? Do you not know that the door is narrow and cramped, and that the covetous cannot enter it? Let us seek only that which satisfies our needs; for the superfluous only amuses, and brings no benefit.
If you are on the path to the Kingdom, do not burden yourself with anything, for it is not pleasing to God that you enter His chamber burdened with a burden. If you are going to the Kingdom, throw off the superfluous. Will you lack anything in the Kingdom? Be prudent. God calls you to His Meal; drop every burden. Get ready for a journey without burdens and go with God to His Kingdom. He is looking for you so that you can go with Him and live with Him in His chamber. Look, the Kingdom of God is within you, sinner. Enter into yourself, seek the Kingdom there, and without difficulty you will find it. Do not chase after the acquisition of an estate, break out of the nets of lust, from the snares of sin, from the wilds of covetousness. Enter into yourself, live in yourself, in inner silence, with a moderate and pure soul, with a calm and humble spirit. Enter into yourself and look for the Kingdom of God there, it is really there, as the Lord Himself taught us in the Gospel. God dwells in the soul that loves God, and there is His Kingdom, and that is why He says that "the Kingdom of God is within us" (Luke 17:21). So, let us break free from the nets of the outer world and let us seek the Kingdom of God in our souls; Until we find him there, we will not stop looking. And if it has not yet settled in us, let us seek, as the Lord taught us: "Our Father ... Thy Kingdom come," and it will come if we ask for it.
Saint Gregory of Nyssa:
Let the satisfaction of need be the limit of your concern for life with what you have.
Rev. Abba Isaiah:
If He Who created everything with a single Word did not have “where to lay His head” (Matt. 8:20), then you, unfortunate person, why do you indulge in worries about vain things, why are you blinded by insane lack of satiety? Consider this and choose what is good for you.
The soul is not able to overcome the uprisings of spirits if it is not freed from all the cares and cares of this world.
