Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” Matthew 19:23-24
“In the matter of piety, poverty serves us better than wealth, and work better than idleness, especially since wealth becomes an obstacle even for those who do not devote themselves to it. Yet, when we must put aside our wrath, quench our envy, soften our anger, offer our prayers, and show a disposition which is reasonable, mild, kindly, and loving, how could poverty stand in our way? For we accomplish these things not by spending money but by making the correct choice. Almsgiving above all else requires money, but even this shines with a brighter luster when the alms are given from our poverty. The widow who paid in the two mites was poorer than any human, but she outdid them all.”
John Chrysostom (349-407) in his treatise entitled Baptismal Instructions.
Jesus made it clear that wealth becomes an obstacle that hinders our growth in the Christian faith. Don’t let it be an obstacle for you. Make the correct choice.
I hear questions along these lines a lot when I teach on trips like this one. Is wealth bad? The answer is “No!” But the key is to make the correct choice with the material blessings God supplies.
During Lent we learn that generosity is putting to work what we possess to a level of sacrifice. In this regard, the only giving Jesus celebrates is the widow. Why? She held nothing back.
The world looks at how much we give. Jesus looks at what we hold back and what that says about our hearts. As Chrysostom put it, the widow outdid every other giver because she put in everything.