"A person can be broken more easily by prosperity than by adversity." - Abba Theodore (The Conferences: 6.9.4)
Why do earthly riches hinder our life in Christ? Christ commands us to forsake this world for Him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me" (Matthew 19:21). And again, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where you treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:19-21). Our hearts must turn from earthly riches to heavenly riches, which demands constant labor and struggle in our life in Christ. A rich man must disdain his wealth to gain eternal life, yet how many rich men disdain their wealth? Thus, the camel seldom, if ever, passes through the needle's eye. Nevertheless, "the things which are impossible with men are possible with God" (Luke 18:27).
If the rich man seeks purity of heart by disdaining attachment to his riches, he can become poor in spirit for "it is not the result of the deed that must be considered but rather the disposition of the doer" (6.9.1). Judas Iscariot betrayed our Lord benefiting salvation to the entire human race, yet he was not rewarded; rather the Lord said of him, "woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born" (Matthew 26:24). Neither did Satan gain anything from bringing about Job's patience, which glorified the Lord and brought more blessings upon Job (Job 42:12), even to this day. Nor will the Pharisees gain a reward for their good deeds for our Lord said, "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.... Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness" (Matthew 23:13-14, 27-28).
Who are the perfect and the wise of which the Apostle speaks, "For those who love God everything works together for the good" (Romans 8:28)? Abba Theodore provides the answer, "These are the persons, then who are referred to in Holy Scripture as αμφοτεροδεξιοι--that is ambidextrous. Ehud, 'who used either hand as if it were his right,' is described as such in the Book of Judges (3:15). We shall also be able to possess this quality in a spiritual way if by a good and correct use we put the things which are considered fortunate and right-handed and the things which are called unfortunate and left-handed on the right side, so that whatever befalls may become for us, in the words of the Apostle, 'the arms of righteousness.' For we see that our inner man consists in two parts or, as I might say, two hands. No holy person can be without what we call the left hand, but perfect virtue is discerned in the fact that by proper use he turns both into a right hand" (6.10.1). The right hand is virtuous achievements, while the left hand represents turmoil of trials (6.10.4).
How do we, who possess worldly riches, become ambidextrous Christians, as blessed Job became after patiently bearing his trials? "We shall be ambidextrous ourselves, therefore, when neither an abundance or lack of present things changes us--when the former does not push into harmfully lax pleasures and the latter does not draw us into despair and complaining, but when in either case we are thankful to God and draw similar fruit from both successes and failures" (6.10.10).
If the rich man is ambidextrous and his left hand does not know what his right hand does (Matthew 6:3), he too through great difficulties and many struggles may disdain his outward riches and through charity, love for his neighbor, and love for Christ gain salvation. He can in adversity, rather than through his prosperity, gain eternal life for he will be able to say with the Apostle, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).
"And again I say unto you, 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." - Matthew 19:24
"None of these things is good, not luxury, not wealth, not excessive clothing; they have only the name of goodness. Why do I say that they have only the name? They often indeed cause our destruction, when we use them improperly. Wealth will be good for the possessor if he does not spend it only on luxury, or on strong drink and harmful pleasures; if he enjoys luxury in moderation and distributes the rest to the stomachs of the poor, then wealth is a good thing. But if he is going to give himself up to luxury and other profligacy, not only does it not help him at all, but it even leads him down to the great pit." - St. John Chrysostom On Wealth and Poverty
"And all that believed were together, and had all things common; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need." - Acts 2:44-45
"Share everything with your brother. Do not say, 'It is private property.' If you share what is everlasting, you should be that much more willing to share things which do not last." - Didache
"And instead of the tithes which the law commanded, the Lord said to divide everything we have with the poor. And he said to love not only our neighbors but also our enemies, and to be givers and shares not only with the good but also to be liberal givers toward those who take away our possessions." - St. Irenaeus
Why do earthly riches hinder our life in Christ? Christ commands us to forsake this world for Him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me" (Matthew 19:21). And again, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where you treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:19-21). Our hearts must turn from earthly riches to heavenly riches, which demands constant labor and struggle in our life in Christ. A rich man must disdain his wealth to gain eternal life, yet how many rich men disdain their wealth? Thus, the camel seldom, if ever, passes through the needle's eye. Nevertheless, "the things which are impossible with men are possible with God" (Luke 18:27). If the rich man seeks purity of heart by disdaining attachment to his riches, he can become poor in spirit for "it is not the result of the deed that must be considered but rather the disposition of the doer" (6.9.1). Judas Iscariot betrayed our Lord benefiting salvation to the entire human race, yet he was not rewarded; rather the Lord said of him, "woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born" (Matthew 26:24). Neither did Satan gain anything from bringing about Job's patience, which glorified the Lord and brought more blessings upon Job (Job 42:12), even to this day. Nor will the Pharisees gain a reward for their good deeds for our Lord said, "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.... Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness" (Matthew 23:13-14, 27-28).
Who are the perfect and the wise of which the Apostle speaks, "For those who love God everything works together for the good" (Romans 8:28)? Abba Theodore provides the answer, "These are the persons, then who are referred to in Holy Scripture as αμφοτεροδεξιοι--that is ambidextrous. Ehud, 'who used either hand as if it were his right,' is described as such in the Book of Judges (3:15). We shall also be able to possess this quality in a spiritual way if by a good and correct use we put the things which are considered fortunate and right-handed and the things which are called unfortunate and left-handed on the right side, so that whatever befalls may become for us, in the words of the Apostle, 'the arms of righteousness.' For we see that our inner man consists in two parts or, as I might say, two hands. No holy person can be without what we call the left hand, but perfect virtue is discerned in the fact that by proper use he turns both into a right hand" (6.10.1). The right hand is virtuous achievements, while the left hand represents turmoil of trials (6.10.4).
How do we, who possess worldly riches, become ambidextrous Christians, as blessed Job became after patiently bearing his trials? "We shall be ambidextrous ourselves, therefore, when neither an abundance or lack of present things changes us--when the former does not push into harmfully lax pleasures and the latter does not draw us into despair and complaining, but when in either case we are thankful to God and draw similar fruit from both successes and failures" (6.10.10).
If the rich man is ambidextrous and his left hand does not know what his right hand does (Matthew 6:3), he too through great difficulties and many struggles may disdain his outward riches and through charity, love for his neighbor, and love for Christ gain salvation. He can in adversity, rather than through his prosperity, gain eternal life for he will be able to say with the Apostle, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).
"And again I say unto you, 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." - Matthew 19:24
"None of these things is good, not luxury, not wealth, not excessive clothing; they have only the name of goodness. Why do I say that they have only the name? They often indeed cause our destruction, when we use them improperly. Wealth will be good for the possessor if he does not spend it only on luxury, or on strong drink and harmful pleasures; if he enjoys luxury in moderation and distributes the rest to the stomachs of the poor, then wealth is a good thing. But if he is going to give himself up to luxury and other profligacy, not only does it not help him at all, but it even leads him down to the great pit." - St. John Chrysostom On Wealth and Poverty
"And all that believed were together, and had all things common; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need." - Acts 2:44-45
"Share everything with your brother. Do not say, 'It is private property.' If you share what is everlasting, you should be that much more willing to share things which do not last." - Didache
"And instead of the tithes which the law commanded, the Lord said to divide everything we have with the poor. And he said to love not only our neighbors but also our enemies, and to be givers and shares not only with the good but also to be liberal givers toward those who take away our possessions." - St. Irenaeus
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