What about......?

One question I keep getting from people, especially people who have read my book, is 'What about...?'

Like  someone from Michigan who said "I want to send my kids to a Catholic school, but it is expensive.  Is that acceptable?"

Or someone from Calgary who said "I love art, and have some expensive pieces.  What about those?"

Someone from Quebec said "I think part of theology of the body means we need to treat our bodies well, and eat highly nutritious, preferably organic foods.  But eating like that is expensive.  Is that ok?"

What about putting our kids in sports?  What about developping hobbies and skills? What about planting a flower garden? What about going on family vacations?  What about enriching experiences like museums and zoos?

I like what Pope Leo XIII said in Rerum Novarum "True, no one is commanded to distribute to others that which is required for his own needs and those of his household; nor even to give away what is reasonably required to keep up becomingly his condition in life, "for no one ought to live other than becomingly" (Paragraph 22- worth reading in context!)

So-  it comes back to conscience again!  In your judgement, would art or camping or sports be necessary for living becomingly?  

Remember that we are stewards, and that our wealth does not really belong to us but to God.  God wants to provide us with good things, but wisdom, prudence, and the sound judtgement of your conscience will be necessary to know exacty what God would have us own!

Just remember the caution of St Basil the Great;

“By a certain wily artifice of the devil, countless pretexts of expenditure are proposed to the rich.” 

There will always be another thing to covet, another thing you could justify as allowing you live 'becomngly'.  This for me is another reason why the luxury budget has proven so fruitful. I may justify some gardening supllies or camping trips with the family, but if it cannot be easily justified, I have also allowed myself a certain amount of money for those luxuries. 

Live Simply during a pandemic

I am continuing to create content about living simply, like a youtube video that I made with a talk I would present to teens, and more excitingly, I published a book!  Well, almost.  Check back here for updates...

But then Covid struck.  I wonder if books on the End of the World might do better right now than books challenging us to Live Simply.

However, it seems that during this time of pandemic living simply might actually be the wise thing to do!  We know that many people in our culture are living beyond their means. They are house poor, or have accumulated large amounts of debt from vehicles and electronics.  The pressure to keep up with the Joneses has them renovatig their homes or buying that RV that they can barely afford... when suddenly the economy turns down and they have even less money than before. Whereas part of living simply would mean not accumulating debt to get more stuff, and not caring how nice the Joneses new RV is.  So while many are struggling right now to make ends meet, I have found that living some distance below the lifestyle I could have afforded has given me the freedom and peace of mind of knowing that we are in a good place financially.

In fact, since the Canadian Government gave everyone $300/child, regardless of whether their finances were strained from the downturn, we were able to give each of our children the option of deciding which charity they wanted to give their money to!

The thing is-  as strained as many of us are in rich countries, it's even worse in the poor countries. I personally did not lose my income from Covid, but even if I had, government subsidies would have kicked in, and hopefully kept me afloat.  This is just another piveege that I have, in that I have a stable, well paying job that I can do (to some degree) from home.

But what about the most vulnerable in our society?  Chances are they can't.  What about people in other countries?  I spent time in Kenya, Tanzania, Mexico-  not only will those people not be able to work during the pandemic, but their government will not be able to provide for them when they have no income.  And if they do get sick, their health system will be quickly overwhelmed.  If there are disruptions to food security, it will likely be much worse there. So many people in the developping world depend on the donations we make to NGO's for their welfare-  and now even rich people are cutting back on their giving, because their own lifestyle is being challenged.

For this reason it is more important than ever now to be generous with the poor.  The need is growing, and the resources to help are shrinking.  What can you do without?

Rich Saints

If I were correct about the universal call to simplicity, and that luxury was a vice, you would expect that faithful people the world over would live simply.

But I know many Godly people- generous, kind, humble, prayerful, frequenting the sacraments, chaste, wise...  who live in luxury. Now we might chalk that phenomenon up to their ignorance. They’ve never heard that it was wrong, and never really thought about it since, frankly, it’s so self evident.

But then, what about the leaders in the church, lay and clergy alike, who make podcasts and YouTube channels and fly all over the place preaching parish missions- who never mention simplicity, but rather appear to have no qualms about taking expensive vacations? I listen to a number of Catholic and Protestant podcasters, and every time one of them mentions how often they frequent Disneyland, I gather that we must not be on the same page.

But again, they are part of our consumeristic culture, and even they may have embraced a vice unknowingly.

So the real question is, how did the saints live? Even they are not perfect of course, but if living in luxury is the sin against charity that I think it is, I would expect that none of the saints did it. The fact that they are canonized gives their lifestyle a sort of authority as a model.

Indeed, almost all of the saints appear to have lived simply. In scripture we know that Joseph of Arimethea must have been wealthy, both because of the tomb he could afford and because of his apparent influence when he asked for Christ’s body. Can it be assumed that he, like the other disciples , sold what he had and entrusted the money to the apostles to feed widows and orphans?

But what about John Paul II and his private pool, built when his health was fading. He told objecting cardinals “So what? It’s cheaper than another conclave!”

What about St Louis king of France, when France was the richest kingdom in the world? I don’t like everything he did anyway- like burning copies of the Talmud or cutting off the lips of blasphemers. But it is said of him that he fed 100 beggars at his table each day, and he himself ate what they left behind. He founded houses for reformed prostitutes and for blind men. He’s also known for his severe penance- the hair shirt and the scourge. These do not seem consistent with a self indulgent life of luxury.

Elizabeth of Hungary? Lived according to the ideals of Francis of Assisi, gave much of her wealth away with the blessing of her husband, the king, and continued to do so after he died, serving the poor and the sick.

Margaret of Scotland? Served orphans and the poor everyday before she ate, washed the feet of the poor.

Katherine Drexel? Pier Giorgio?  Generously gave their wealth to the poor.

Louis and Zelie Martin? Parents of Therese of Lisieux. Louis was a jeweller and watchmaker, and Zelie was a lacemaker. Perhaps more than any of the others, the Martins are models of how married people can live as saints. They did enjoy a degree of wealth- they had a nice home, with a few luxuries. But Zelie was a secular Franciscan, while Louis was a member of the St Vincent de Paul society. Their reputation for love of the poor was so well known that poor people would cone to their home to be fed, bathed, and to receive new clothes and shoes. If the poor did not come, the Martins would seek them out!

In short- the argument that some of the saints lived in luxury is the single strongest argument for why we as Christians can live in luxury and yet remain confident that we are being faithful to Gods plan for our lives. I still maintain though that the consistent message of Church teaching and the scriptures, coupled with the fact that those saints who did enjoy wealth still demonstrated great concern for the poor and made considerable self sacrifice is evidence of what kind of life God is calling us to. We would do well to make them our models.

You shall not judge

I was once speaking with a friend who disagreed with me that everyone is called to simplicity. Though we were both reasonable people, the topic is inherently personal, and he felt that I was being judgmental.  He kept repeating “You’re judging me, you’re judging me!”

“Well, you’re judging me for judging you” I answered.

I thought I was pretty clever, but actually he struck at exactly the problem. I’ve often wondered why, given that simplicity is so clearly church teaching, more people don’t talk about it or teach it!

Is it because my friends and family and colleagues will all feel judged? I’m self conscious inviting people into my home because our couch is ratty and carpets ‘need’ replacing. Maybe in the same way that I’m afraid people will judge me for my simple standard of living, maybe they are afraid that I will judge them for their granite counter tops or large television.

I hope that I am humble enough that I will not judge my friends for their lifestyles. But at the same time, I do not believe that I ought to deny that luxury is a vice.  Suppose a man looked at porn. I would not judge him for what he did in a moment of weakness. But if he sought to argue that it was not weakness, that lust was not a vice contrary to charity and our God given dignity-  well, then I would feel duty bound to speak the truth.

The challenge is, how to do I teach the truth-  that luxury is a vice and contrary to church teaching- without implicating someones lifestyle choice?  In a lot of ways I feel like one of the reluctant prophets-  I have this message that I am persuaded is from God, but I don't want to speak it because of my own fear of rejection.

I believe the decision to live simply is deeply personal, and is a matter of conscience.  Not that someone with a well informed conscience might think they shouldn't make sacrifices to give to the poor.  But the degree is a matter of conscience.  How much should I give? How big should my house be? Where can I go on vacation? Do I put my kid in hockey?  Do I pay for my kid to go to better schools? How much money can I spend on pets?

There are a myriad of questions we must answer. The church does not provide clear guidelines, and neither will I. I have to continue discerning my own choices, and I know I can be wiser and more generous. So who am I to judge?

The key is to remember that ”purchasing is always a moral- and not simply economic - act“ (Benedict XVI)

When deciding how God would have us live, let us follow our informed consciences, make love our aim, and approach others doing the same thing with humility.

Luxury Budget

The luxury budget is a very simple, fundamental thing we can do to start living simply.  Be it resolved that God does in fact want to bless us with good things which we can enjoy, the luxury budget puts a cap on it.

Here's how it works.  Suppose you say that you will only spend $100/month on luxuries. On the one hand that's a lot of money!  I mean, you could almost sponsor 3 kids each month for that amount!  But why not start with a discipline which is attainable, and then raise the bar once we can manage it?

First off, the luxury budget will force you to re-evaluate your purchasing habits.  Each time you want to buy a new article of clothing, say, you'll have to ask yourself- is this a necessity, or a luxury?  If the article is a luxury, then you take it out of your luxury budget.  If it is a necessity, you have to ask the question-  could I get this thing cheaper at another store, or even second hand?  Pray about these decisions. It may be that in your line of work you are expected to dress at a certain level- which would suggest that an expensive shirt is a necessity.  But if you can make due with a $5 second hand shirt, but you choose the $40 new shirt... well take the $35 from your luxury budget.

This process of evaluating your purchases will help you form your conscience, and become more aware of whether you are being selfish in your purchases. As Pope Benedict XVI wrote in Caritas in Veritate "It is good for people to realize that purchasing is always a moral- and not simply economic - act."

Secondly, the luxury budget will free up money which you can then spend on real necessities-  like paying down debts, saving, and giving to the poor.  Another conscience forming exercise which you will have to go through is figuring out which rate to do these things in.

Sound easy?  It is!  At first...  but just wait until your couch wears out, or you want to replace your carpets, or go skiing. You will have to discern- is a new couch really a necessity, or a luxury? How many months of luxury budget do you want to give up in order to buy it?  Can you justify your family vacation as a necessity?

You may find that you can. Remember the principal is that the money is not ours, but Gods.  We must be good stewards.  If you discern with your informed conscience that God would have you go on vacation with your family, then go!  Enjoy God's abundant blessings!  But the luxury budget will force you to discern, rather than just treating the money like it's yours and the vacation like you have a right to it.

If you are serious about living in accordance with Church teaching on money and care for the poor, the luxury budget is the best place to start!

What the Catholic Church teaches about living simply

“Private property does not constitute an unconditional and absolute right, and that no one is authorized to reserve for their exclusive use what he does not need, when others lack necessities.”- Paul VI -Populorum Progressio

  "No one is commanded to distribute to others that which is required for his own needs and those of his household; nor even to give away what is reasonably required to keep up becomingly his condition in life'  Pope Leo XIII, Rerum Novarum

“The Church’s love for the poor is a part of her constant tradition”. - John Paul II, Centissimus Annus

“God gave the earth to the whole human race for the sustenance of all its members, without excluding or favoring anyone.” - Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church

The Universal Destination of Goods is..“The first principle of the whole ethical and social order” and “the characteristic principle of Catholic social doctrine” - John Paul II

CCC 2445 Love for the poor is incompatible with immoderate love of riches or their selfish use:
“Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have rusted, and their rust will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure for the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have killed the righteous man; he does not resist you.” (James 5:1-6)

 CCC 2446 St. John Chrysostom vigorously recalls this: “Not to enable the poor to share in our goods is to steal from them and deprive them of life.  The goods we possess are not ours, but theirs.” “The demands of justice must be satisfied first of all; that which is already due in justice is not to be offered as a gift of charity”

“When we attend to the needs of those in want, we give them what is theirs, not ours.  More than performing works of mercy, we are paying a debt of justice.” - Gregory the Great

“If you have two coats, you’ve stolen one from the poor.”- Servant of God Dorothy Day

“The bread which you hold back belongs to the hungry; the coat, which you guard in your locked storage-chests, belongs to the naked.”- St Basil the Great

“By a certain wily artifice of the devil, countless pretexts of expenditure are proposed to the rich.” St Basil the Great

“Detachment from riches is obligatory for entrance into the Kingdom of heaven.” CCC2544

“Our Lord warns us that we shall be separated from Him if we fail to meet the serious needs of the poor and the little ones who are his brethren.”  CCC1033

In Economic matters, respect for the human dignity requires the practice of the virtue of temperance, so as to moderate attachment to this world’s goods, the practice of the virtue of justice, to preserve our neighbours rights and render him what is his due: the practice of solidarity, in accordance with the golden rule.  CCC 2407

“Love for the poor is even one of the motives for the duty of working so as to be able to give to those in need.” CCC 2444

“The disordered desire for money cannot but produce perverse effects.” CCC 2424

“Goods, even when legitimately owned, always have a universal destination;  any type of improper accumulation is immoral, because it openly contradicts the universal destination assigned to all goods by the Creator.” Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church

A disconcerting conclusion about the most recent period should serve to enlighten us: side-by-side with the miseries of underdevelopment, themselves unacceptable, we find ourselves up against a form of super-development, equally inadmissible. because like the former it is contrary to what is good and to true happiness. This super-development, which consists in an excessive availability of every kind of material goods for the benefit of certain social groups, easily makes people slaves of "possession" and of immediate gratification, with no other horizon than the multiplication or continual replacement of the things already owned with others still better. This is the so-called civilization of "consumption" or "consumerism," which involves so much "throwing-away" and "waste." An object already owned but now superseded by something better is discarded, with no thought of its possible lasting value in itself, nor of some other human being who is poorer.-  John Paul II - Sollicitudo Rei Socialis

 “A way has to be found to enable everyone to benefit from the fruits of the earth, and not simply to close the gap between the affluent and those who must be satisfied with the crumbs falling from the table, but above all to satisfy the demands of justice, fairness and respect for every human being.”- Pope Francis

“A Christian who is too attached to riches has lost his way.” - Pope Francis

“The times talk to us of so much poverty in the world and this is a scandal. Poverty in the world is a scandal. In a world where there is so much wealth, so many resources to feed everyone, it is unfathomable that there are so many hungry children, that there are so many children without an education, so many poor persons. Poverty today is a cry.” Pope Francis

"Money must serve, not rule! The Pope loves everyone, rich and poor alike, but he is obliged in the name of Christ to remind all that the rich must help, respect and promote the poor. I exhort you to generous solidarity and a return of economics and finance to an ethical approach which favours human beings." Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium

“Today, the scientific community realizes what the poor have long told us: harm, perhaps irreversible harm, is being done to the ecosystem. The earth, entire peoples and individual persons are being brutally punished. And behind all this pain, death and destruction there is the stench of what Basil of Caesarea called “the dung of the devil”. An unfettered pursuit of money rules. The service of the common good is left behind. Once capital becomes an idol and guides people’s decisions, once greed for money presides over the entire socioeconomic system, it ruins society, it condemns and enslaves men and women, it destroys human fraternity, it sets people against one another and, as we clearly see, it even puts at risk our common home.” - Pope Francis

“Consumerism has accustomed us to waste. But throwing food away is like stealing it from the poor and hungry.” - Pope Francis

“The rich man is only an administrator of what he possesses; giving what is required to the needy is a task that is to be performed with humility because the goods do not belong to the one who distributes them. He who retains riches for himself is not innocent; giving to those in need means paying a debt.”-  St Gregory the Great.

“Practicing charity is the best way to evangelize.”  -Pope Francis

"The culture of prosperity deadens us; we are thrilled if the market offers us something new to purchase; and in the meantime all those lives stunted for lack of opportunity seem a mere spectacle; they fail to move us. Almost without being aware of it, we end up being incapable of feeling compassion at the outcry of the poor, weeping for other people's pain, and feeling a need to help them, as though all this were someone else's responsibility and not our own." - Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium

Hence it must needs be that man's good in their respect consists in a certain measure, in other words, that man seeks, according to a certain measure, to have external riches, in so far as they are necessary for him to live in keeping with his condition of life. Wherefore it will be a sin for him to exceed this measure, by wishing to acquire or keep them immoderately. This is what is meant by covetousness, which is defined as "immoderate love of possessing." It is therefore evident that covetousness is a sin. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica

Those who bestow laudatory addresses on the rich appear to me to be rightly judged not only flatterers and base, in vehemently pretending that things which are disagreeable give them pleasure, but also godless and treacherous; godless, because neglecting to praise and glorify God, who is alone perfect and good, of whom are all things, and by whom are all things, and for whom are all things, (Romans 11:36) they invest with divine honours men wallowing in an execrable and abominable life, and, what is the principal thing, liable on this account to the judgment of God; and treacherous, because, although wealth is of itself sufficient to puff up and corrupt the souls of its possessors, and to turn them from the path by which salvation is to be attained, they stupefy them still more, by inflating the minds of the rich with the pleasures of extravagant praises, and by making them utterly despise all things except wealth, on account of which they are admired; bringing, as the saying is, fire to fire, pouring pride on pride, and adding conceit to wealth, a heavier burden to that which by nature is a weight, from which somewhat ought rather to be removed and taken away as being a dangerous and deadly disease.- Clement of Alexandria

“Abandonment to the providence of the Father in heaven frees us from anxiety about tomorrow. Trust in God is a preparation for the blessedness of the poor. They shall see God.” CCC 2547

Don't forget it: he has most who needs least. Don't create needs for yourself.
Detach yourself from the goods of the world. Love and practise poverty of spirit: be content with what enables you to live a simple and sober life. Otherwise, you will never be an apostle.
Rather than in not having, true poverty consists in being detached, in voluntarily renouncing one's dominion over things.
That is why there are poor who are really rich. And vice-versa.
If you are a man of God, you will seek to despise riches as intensely as men of the world seek to possess them.
What attachment to the things of the earth! Soon they will slip from your grasp, for the rich man cannot take his riches with him to the grave.
You haven't got the spirit of poverty if, when you are able to choose in such a way that your choice is not noticed, you do not select for yourself what is worst.
'Divitiae, si affluant, nolite cor apponere, though riches may increase keep your heart detached.' Strive to use them generously. And, if necessary, heroically.
Be poor of spirit.

Josemaria Escriva- The Way, 630-631

…we are not discussing the mere lack of things; this lack will not divest the soul if it craves for all these objects. We are dealing with the denudation of the soul’s appetites and gratifications. This is what leaves it free and empty of all things, even though it possesses them. —St. John of the Cross, Ascent of Mount Carmel, Book I, Ch. 3, p. 123

Prosperity knits a man to the world. He feels that he is finding his place in it, while really it is finding its place in him.
C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters

It is sad to see what some people understand by almsgiving: a few pennies or some old clothes. They seem not to have read the Gospel.
Don’t be over-cautious: help people to acquire sufficient faith and fortitude to be ready to deny themselves generously, in this life, what they need
Josemaria Escriva-  The Furrow (26)

Nowadays it is not enough for men and women to be good. Moreover, it is not good enough to be satisfied with being nearly… good. It is necessary to be ‘revolutionary’. Faced by hedonism, faced by the pagan and materialistic wares that we are being offered, Christ wants objectors! — rebels of Love!
Josemaria Escriva- The Furrow (128)

Therefore, those whom fortune favours are warned that riches do not bring freedom from sorrow and are of no avail for eternal happiness, but rather are obstacles; that the rich should tremble at the threatening of Jesus Christ- threatenings so unwonted in the mouth of our Lord- and that a most strict account must be given to the Supreme Judge for all we possess.  Pope Leo XIII, Encyclical Rerum Novarum, 1891

Man should not consider his material possession his own, but as common to all, so as to share them without hesitation when others are in need. - Thomas Aquinas

Whence the apostle says “Command the rich of this world… to offer with no stint, to apportion largely.”  True, no one is commanded to distribute to others that which is required for his own needs and those of his household… It is a duty, not of justice (save in extreme cases), but of Christian charity- a duty not enforced by human law.
Pope Leo XIII, Rerum Novarum

 For this reason, wealth is dangerous and – says Jesus – even makes one’s salvation difficult. -  Pope Francis, Canonization of Oscar Romero Oct 14 2018

My God, I see I shall never accept you as my Savior unless I acknowledge you as my Model at the same time. —Since you yourself chose to be poor, make me love holy poverty. I resolve, with your grace, to live and die in poverty, even though I may have millions at my disposal.
Jose Maria Escriva, the Forge (46)

St. Ambrose addressing the rich Christians of Milan: “You give coverings to walls and bring men to nakedness. The naked cries out before your house unheeded; your fellow man is there, naked and crying, while you are perplexed by the choice of marble to clothe your floor.”

Between lack of generosity and lukewarmness there is only one step.  Josemaria Escriva, Furrow 10

What does the Bible say about money?

I could spill a lot of ink on how scripture teaches we should care for the poor, and we should not live in luxury. But instead, here's a bunch of quotes that illustrate this fact with no need for commentary from me!

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” - James 1:27

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 1 John 2:15

 “Sell your possessions and give to the poor.  Provide purses for yourself that will never wear out, a treasure in Heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.”- Luke 12:33

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God” - Luke 6:20

“The love of money is the root of every evil.” - 1 Tim 6:10

“Woe to you who are rich, you have received your comfort.” - Luke 6:24

“Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.” - James 5: 1-5

  The Parable of the Rich Fool, who puts all his grain in barns saving up for the future, and then dies and loses it all, and God says “You Fool!”.  Jesus sums it up by saying “This is how it will be for whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich towards God.” - Luke 12: 16-21.

“It is harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Heaven than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle.”  - Matthew 19:24, (See also Mark 10:25, Luke 18:25)

“The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.” Matthew 13:22

"No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Matt 6:24

  ….dress modestly… not with… gold or pearls or expensive clothes - 1 Tim 2:9-10

“If you want to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give to the poor….” - Matt 19:21

“Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.” Luke 3:11

“Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his deed.”  -Prov 19:17

 ….They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything--all she had to live on. - Mark 12:41-44

 “Give to everyone who asks you.” - Luke 6:30

 “How joyful are those who fear the Lord.... they share freely and give generously to those in need.” - Psalm 112:1, 9

  “Be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.” - Luke 11:41

Jesus’ description of the separation of the sheep from the goats when He comes again, with sheep invited into their inheritance with him and goats cast into the eternal fire, based on the questions “When I was hungry, did you feed me?  When  I was thirsty did you give me drink?” Etc. -Matt 25:31-46

Lazarus and the Rich Man- Luke 16:19-31

 They gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. - 2 Cor 8:3

 Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality.  At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, as it is written: “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.” - 2 Corinthians 8:13-15

 “Set aside part of your goods for almsgiving. Never turn your face from the poor and God will never turn his from you. Measure your alms by what you have; if you have much, give more; if you have little, do not be afraid to give less in alms. So doing, you will lay up for yourself a great treasure for the day of necessity. For almsgiving delivers from death and saves people from passing down to darkness. Almsgiving is a most effective offering for all those who do it in the presence of the Most High.” - Tobit 4:7-11

 “Your prayers and your gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.” - Acts 10:4

 He has filled the hungry with good things, but the rich He has sent away empty.- Luke 1: 53

   ...give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, “Who is the Lord?”- Prov 30:8-9

 I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.As for you, my flock, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will judge between one sheep and another, and between rams and goats. Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of your pasture with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? Must my flock feed on what you have trampled and drink what you have muddied with your feet? Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says to them: See, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you shove with flank and shoulder, butting all the weak sheep with your horns until you have driven them away, I will save my flock, and they will no longer be plundered. I will judge between one sheep and another. - Ezekiel 34:16-22
“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy…” 2 Tim 3:1-2

 “Whoever loves money never has enough;
Whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.
This too is meaningless.
As goods increase, so do those who consume them.
And what benefit are they to the owners
except to feast their eyes on them?
The sleep of a laborer is sweet,
whether they eat little or much,
but as for the rich their abundance
permits them no sleep.- Ecclesiastes 5:10-12

 For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.  If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.  For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. - 1 Timothy 6:7-11
 “But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.” - 1 Corinthians 5:11 (See also 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Ephesians 5:5, and Colossians 3:5.)

“Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.” - 1 John 4:20

“Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me.”
“But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’
“In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.” - Malachi 3:8-10

“So I thought it necessary to encourage the brothers to go on ahead to you and arrange in advance for your promised gift, so that in this way it might be ready as a bountiful gift and not as an exaction. Consider this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you, so that in all things, always having all you need, you may have an abundance for every good work.”  - 2 Corinthians 9:5-8

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” - Matt 5:16

“Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”  - James 2:15-17

 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? - 1 John 3: 17 

Is living in luxury a sin?

I made a startling discovery.

Did you know Catholics are not allowed to live in luxury?  Like, it actually goes against our religion!

Just as God calls some people to celibacy, but all people to chastity, so God calls some people to poverty, but all to simplicity.  I don't mean the kind of simplicity where you just have less stuff but what you have is really expensive, or the kind of simplicity where you are a fool incapable of thinking complex thoughts. But I mean the kind implied by the phrase attributed to Mother Teresa- "Live simply, so that others might simply live."

As Christians, we are called to "Make love your aim" (1 Corinthians 14:1) and to "love your neighbour as yourself" (Mark 12:31).   It is self evident that you cannot love your neighbour as yourself if you are living in luxury while your neighbour goes without basic needs. This seems irrefutable- it is also the clear teachings of the scriptures and of the Catholic Church.   In fact the Church teaches that living simply is not merely a matter of charity, but a matter of justice!

And yet I find that Christians, who otherwise have a high view of scripture, and Catholics who give their assent of faith to the Church, who affirm the universal call to holiness, and who put into practice even the hard teachings like those on contraception... that even these do not know or follow the teachings with regards to living simply!  Moreover, it seems like no one is teaching it...  Ignatius press, Lighthouse, Catholic Answers-  you can't find stuff on living simply or our obligation to the poor!

That's what this blog is about. What does the Church teach? What do the saints say? And what practical things can we do to actually start complying with this hard teaching?