Father Dominic Emmanuel

America is slowly coming out of one of the worst economic recessions which affected the rest of the world too. Now it is the turn of Euro which is losing its sheen caused by the Greek debt crisis. The debate whether the Euro will come out unscathed is still raging. The economic crises in the United States and in Europe are not natural disasters but are totally man-made. Due to unquenchable human greed for money.
A couple of years ago I was invited by a TV channel to explain the “new” list of seven deadly sins that a Catholic bishop from the Vatican had freshly issued. It presumes that there existed already an old list of deadly sins. Curiously, at the time of that declaration the economic meltdown had not hit the world. Yet, one of the sins common to the two lists, intriguingly, was “greed” (old) and “being obscenely rich” (new).
Since Lakshmi, the Goddess associated with wealth and money, is worshipped at the time of Diwali in our country, a widely respected Hindu guru and I could not agree on that TV programme. I was trying to explain the precise import of the sin of “greed” and “being obscenely rich”. I tried to point out that the church’s position was meant for those who, despite having more money than they need for several generations, still ran after money without any concern for other human beings who are their own brothers and sisters.
No one disputes the fact that the way the world is currently structured, money is a necessity without which all life could come to a standstill.
What the Bible, however, constantly warns against is when people replace God and His presence in other human beings with money. That is why Jesus said quite plainly: “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matt. 6:24).
Despite the oft-repeated catchphrase, “Saath kya laya tha, aur saath kya le jayega” (What did you bring with you and what will you take back with you), the insecurities of life often make us rush to take shelter in the deceptive security of money. In this process, God is sometimes left behind.
And despite knowing that money cannot buy us happiness, health, peace of mind or restore our broken relationships, when faced with hard cash in bulk, our knowledge and convictions disappear.
The Bible also states, “Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf” (Proverbs 11:28), and, “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold”. (Proverbs 22:1).
Once a young man approached Jesus and asked him as to what he must do to get eternal life. When Jesus told him a few things that he should do, the youth responded saying that he had been doing them since childhood. Jesus then told him lovingly, “One thing you still lack; go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have your treasure in heaven, and come follow me”. Hearing this, the young man went away sad, for he had great possessions. Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the Kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of the needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God” (Mark 10: 21-25).
Clearly, Jesus leaves the choice to the young man who decides to part ways with Jesus. But in all fairness to Jesus, He did offer him a simpler choice at first. This goes to show that Jesus is not against money per se but against those who put money before God and before all other considerations.
There are other aspects to such love for money. It shows one’s lack of trust in God’s providence and goodness. As St. Paul says, “Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you’” (Hebrews 13:5).
Had those who caused the great depression starting in the US paid a little attention to the wonderful teachings of the Bible, the world would have been spared the immense pain and suffering, including many suicides and crimes that followed.

— Father Dominic Emmanuel, a founder-member of Parliament of Religions, is currently the director of
communication of the Delhi Catholic Church.
He was awarded the National Communal
Harmony Award 2008 by the Government of India.