“Do not allow yourself to be delayed by deceitful riches…Permit me to say that it would be repugnant and unjust to appropriate for your own use the possessions of which you are merely the administrator, not the owner. If the desire for honor and glory inclines you to live in style — and you cannot afford those expenses on what you possess — do you not in one way or another deprive some people of what you give to others? That is not an act of beneficence or of generosity. No act is charitable if it is not just.”
Bruno of Cologne (1030-1101) monk, founder of the Carthusian order, in “The Contemplative Life in Bruno’s Letters” 15.
Consider the meaning of the term “order” as it references a group of people in a world filled with “disorder” that resolve to follow a rule of life that reflects obedience to the teachings of Jesus. “Monks” were the members of the order, and in the dark ages, their monasteries were centers of learning and contemplation in a barbaric world.
Bruno’s order was known for administering God’s resources with generosity and justice. We learn this from the order’s reputation and also from Bruno’s letters. No one was permitted to live beyond their means, and no one was to act like an owner! The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. Psalm 24:1
When we allow riches to “delay” us, we are deceived. When we act as owners instead of generous and just administrators of God’s material blessings, our behavior is repugnant! No act is charitable (that is, reflects charis, or God’s grace) if it is not extended to all justly (for that is how God lavishes grace, cf. Ephesians 1:8)
Father in heaven, by the power of the Holy Spirit, and in the name of Jesus, hear my prayer and cause my generosity, and that of my brothers and sisters, to reflect Your justice, unconditional love, and care for everyone, regardless of what everyone else is doing in the dark days we find ourselves.