Behold the man that made not God his strength, but put confidence in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his avarice. Psalm 52:7
In this Canto, Dante and Virgil make their way down to the Fourth Circle of Hell and come upon the demon Plutus. This Canto describes the punishment of the Avaricious and the Prodigal, with Plutus as their jailer. Enjoy this excerpt.
“Exclaimed: “My Master, now declare to me
What people these are, and if all were clerks,
These shaven crowns upon the left of us.”
“
And he to me: “All of them were asquint
In intellect in the first life, so much
That there with measure they no spending made.
Clearly enough their voices bark it forth,
Whene’er they reach the two points of the circle,
Where sunders them the opposite defect.
Clerks those were who no hairy covering
Have on the head, and Popes and Cardinals,
In whom doth Avarice practise its excess.
And I: “My Master, among such as these
I ought forsooth to recognise some few,
Who were infected with these maladies.”
And he to me: “Vain thought thou entertainest;
The undiscerning life which made them sordid
Now makes them unto all discernment dim.
Forever shall they come to these two buttings;
These from the sepulcher shall rise again
With the fist closed, and these with tresses shorn.
Ill giving and ill keeping the fair world
Have ta’en from them, and placed them in this scuffle;
Whate’er it be, no words adorn I for it.
Now canst thou, Son, behold the transient farce
Of goods that are committed unto Fortune,
For which the human race each other buffet;
For all the gold that is beneath the moon,
Or ever has been, of these weary souls
Could never make a single one repose.”
“Master,” I said to him, “now tell me also
What is this Fortune which thou speakest of,
That has the world’s goods so within its clutches?”
And he to me: “O creatures imbecile,
What ignorance is this which doth beset you?
Now will I have thee learn my judgment of her.
He whose omniscience everything transcends
The heavens created, and gave who should guide them,
That every part to every part may shine.”
Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) in Divine Comedy-Inferno, Canto 7, translated by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (Josef Nygrin, 2008) 46-48.
Divine Comedy-Inferno is another one from the list in 25 Books Every Christian Should Read: A Guide to the Essential Spiritual Classics. Today Dante shakes and wakes readers to the regret that awaits the avaricious.
In today’s Scripture the psalmist writes with sobering clarity. A person who trusts in riches does not trust in God. Jesus later echoes this saying that you cannot serve God and wealth.
Dante illustrates for us the ultimate destination that awaits the avaricious. It’s dark and dismal. I hope it scares the avarice out of every person reading this. Let me highlight four segments that got my attention.
Firstly, if “Popes and Cardinals” can be guilty of “excess” in this area, we can all fall prey. Jesus warned the disciples about avarice, which is the desire for gain or more. It’s the opposite of contentment. Be warned.
Secondly, it was “the undiscerning life which made them sordid.” In other words, the avaricious failed to be watchful with money and instead became just like the world. Don’t let your discernment grow dim.
Thirdly, avarice leads us the “ill giving and ill keeping” of goods. I wondered if Ananias and Sapphira found themselves in this fourth level of hell. We must give cheerfully to God and hold anything back!
Fourthly, notice that “all the gold that is beneath the moon, or ever has been, of these weary souls, could never make a single one repose.” In short, money can’t save us, only God can.
Why post such a strong post only two days before Christmas? Tomorrow, our tradition is to watch a movie called, It’s A Wonderful Life. Perhaps you know and love it too?
I won’t give away the storyline, but George Bailey almost throws away his life over the loss of $8,000. He discovers that many things in life matter a lot more than that money. He learned this the hard way.
In the end, however, the town he served selflessly, comes to His aid. They all share with him in his time of need. Watch the movie. It’s an antidote to avarice. And then go give generously.
Remember, let’s make 2022 a time of year-end giving not year-end keeping. Remember that our ill keeping merely shows where we have misplaced our trust.
Spirit, convict us to weed out our avarice. Show us any ways we have a desire for gain. Teach us contentment. Help us discover in giving generously that we have all we need in You. Amen.