Then [Jesus] said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” Luke 12:15
“But those, moreover, whom you consider rich, who add forests to forests, and who, excluding the poor from their neighbourhood, stretch out their fields far and wide into space without any limits, who possess immense heaps of silver and gold and mighty sums of money, either in built-up heaps or in buried stores, even in the midst of their riches those are torn to pieces by the anxiety of vague thought, lest the robber should spoil, lest the murderer should attack, lest the envy of some wealthier neighbour should become hostile, and harass them with malicious lawsuits.
Such a one enjoys no security either in his food or in his sleep. In the midst of the banquet he sighs, although he drinks from a jewelled goblet; and when his luxurious bed has enfolded his body, languid with feasting, in its yielding bosom, he lies wakeful in the midst of the down; nor does he perceive, poor wretch, that these things are merely gilded torments, that he is held in bondage by his gold, and that he is the slave of his luxury and wealth rather than their master. And oh, the odious blindness of perception, and the deep darkness of senseless greed! Although he might disburden himself and get rid of the load, he rather continues to brood over his vexing wealth, he goes on obstinately clinging to his tormenting hoards.
From him there is no liberality to dependents, no communication to the poor. And yet such people call that their own money, which they guard with jealous labour, shut up at home as if it were another’s, and from which they derive no benefit either for their friends, for their children, or, in fine, for themselves. Their possession amounts to this only, that they can keep others from possessing it; and oh, what a marvellous perversion of names! They call those things goods, which they absolutely put to none but bad uses.”
Cyprian of Carthage (c. 200-258) in Epistle 1 “To Donatus” 12 translated by Philip Schaff (Grand Rapids: CCEL) 495.
Why do we need to watch out for greed? What ever we hold on to gets a hold on to us. It causes us to have blindness of perception. And, as a result, Cyprian would say that we put “goods” to “bad uses.”
How do we avoid this? We must intentionally put goods to good uses. That’s why we fast, pray, and give during Lent. We loosen the grip that possessions have on us.
Also, we realize that what the world says we need, stuff such as money and possessions, is not what sustains us or brings us joy. It’s only found in the enjoyment and sharing of blessings.
No wonder Jesus did not hold on to any possessions and commanded us to let go of them. He was not trying to rob us, but help us. We must do the same for others lest they remain blind.