But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33
“It’s only good loving that makes good living. Put gold aside when considering human dealings; or rather let gold be present, to test the quality of human dealings…
Because you have asked, you have received [wealth]; there, do some good with it. Before you had it, you were humble; no sooner have you begun to possess wealth, than you have started despising the poor.
What sort of good is it, by which you have been made worse? You’ve been made worse, because you were bad, and you had no idea of what could make you worse, that’s why you were asking me for these things.
I gave them to you, and I tested you; you found them, and were found out. When you didn’t have them, your true self was hidden. Correct yourself: vomit out cupidity, drink in charity.
“What’s so great about what you ask me for?” Your God is saying to you. “Can’t you see the people I’ve given it to? Can’t you see the sort of people I’ve given it to?
If what you are asking me for were a great good, would bandits have it, would cheats and breakers of their word have it, would people who blaspheme me have it, would disrepute clowns have it, would shameless harlots have it? Would all these types have gold, if gold were an excellent good?
“But you say to me, ‘Isn’t gold a good thing, then?’ Certainly gold is a good thing. But bad people do bad things with good gold; good people do good things with good gold.
So because you can see the sort of people I’ve given it to, ask me for better things, ask me for more excellent things, ask me for spiritual things; ask me for myself.”
Augustine of Hippo (354-430) in Sermon 311, excerpts from sections 11-13 in Essential Sermons: Saint Augustine (New York: New City Press, 2007) 374-376.
Without doubt, Augustine is my favorite preacher from the early years of Christianity. Why? He shakes and wakes readers with his candor and clarity. “Correct yourself: vomit out cupidity, drink in charity.” So you don’t miss his point, cupidity is “greed or desire for wealth and possessions.”
He’s saying to the church in Hippo, and to us, stop seeking after good things, which will show the kind of person you really are. Rather seek after more excellent things, seek spiritual things, seek after God. Why? “It’s only good loving that makes good living.”
Life is found not having good things but in loving the right things!