“What exactly is wrong with desiring money too much? Put in the biblical context, what difference does it make to God if the ancient Israelites worship a golden calf [cf. Exodus 32]? Why should He care if people love money more than God and neighbor? God cares about these matters because He cares about us…love of money does not hurt God, it does not diminish God Himself in the least if we do not worship Him…love of money hurts us…
When love of riches grows too strong, other sins typically follow: neglecting family to pursue career, donating little or nothing to charity, leaving inappropriately meager tips for help staff…devoting unreasonable time and attention to financial matters…lying to get more money, taking financial advantage of people…Greed…leads to the harm of others rather than the service of others…Simply put, if we love money more than God and more than other people, we make ourselves–usually sooner rather than later–miserable.”
Christopher Kaczor in The Seven Big Myths about the Catholic Church: Distinguishing Fact from Fiction about Catholicism (San Francisco: Ignatius, 2012) 52-53.
The Apostle Paul warns us that the love of money is a “root of all kinds of evil” which has led many to wander away from the faith and pierce themselves with many pains (cf. 1 Timothy 6:10). Kaczor does a good job showing how this thinking reveals itself in the activities of life and leads “to the harm of others rather than the service of others.”
Father in Heaven, convict us, by your Holy Spirit, of any greed or avarice that may hinder our love for You, our service of others, and seek to ruin our lives. Conform each of us to the image of your son, Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen.