Wealth

SUN., MAY 1, 1988, 6:30 AM
FARM, STUDY

You think you know what I shall say about wealth. As Jesus I did not speak favorably about the accumulation of wealth, as money and things, and yet a number of rich people become and remain dedicated Christians. Is My Teaching about wealth to be all negative? Do I eschew all of the material and speak of wealth in strictly spiritual terms? Hear, o son.

It is possible for a few humans to become quite wealthy. This has been true throughout human history, even as the poor have greatly outnumbered these few. Some who become rich are both clever and hard-working, developing some product or service that many want and thus achieving wealth in a reasonable, commendable way. As Jesus I commended the servants who invested what was given to them (money, yet) and turned a profit. They had more value, I said, than one who was cautious and merely maintained the gift.

Others become rich through what can be called luck or good fortune. They seem to be “in the right place at the right time,” and a fortune accumulates, while such does not happen to some who are more able and hard working. Occasionally this is quite deserved, and I play a role in such apparent “luck,” and I can have fun with such slight manipulations of earthly matters. The normal machinations of earth life can result in these few financial aberrations, in which some lose and some gain tremendously, without evident effort.

I have no strong objections to wealth achieved in these ways. My central demand, of course, is that wealth be invested and used for the benefit of others rather than for a profligate lifestyle, obvious or not. Whatever one has in abundance should be shared with others. This is the privilege of the specially blessed, and I am pleased when I see this happen.

And then there are those whose wealth comes from illegal or immoral means. Often this involves taking advantage of weaknesses in others and exploiting them. This must be accompanied by a feeling of superiority over these weak… even a disdain for their inabilities. This is the fundamental reason for the necessity of a law of karma. And, remember, orthodox Christianity has such an implied law: at death there will be judgment, and those who have served well with go on to glory, while those who have lived selfishly or otherwise apart from Me shall be cast out into the darkness and shall, in consciousness suffer for their sins.

This is a very stringent interpretation of that law, and does not fit well with My offer of grace and My desire for all to return to Me. The Teaching, however, is about wealth, not karma, so I shall leave that issue for another morning.

There is a single, spiritual purpose for wealth, and that is help for others with great needs. Wealth is to be redistributed… given away, in one way or another. When individuals do thus, I am pleased. When governments do this I am equally pleased. I realize how a capitalist system works, and I see merit in it. And yet I want to see the act of giving as a constant. You are not to put aside requests for help unexamined. Give from your abundance or from your pittance, whichever it is.