Why do we say that money is evil

 

Money in itself is not evil, it is a necessity.

It is what it does to a man's heart, to a person 

who is not aware of it's inherent danger.

"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 19:24 

Here it must be said straight away that it is not 

always the actual wealth of the person per say 

that is the obstacle, because a relatively poor 

person can also be motivated by money, have 

money as "a treasure in his heart", and it is an 

equally big spiritual obstacle for that person. 

Having said that, there is a good chance that a 

person who has spent his life and time by amassing 

great wealth, is very much 

plugged in to money.

 

Awareness is key; 

"Keep your heart with all vigilance,for from it flow 

the springs of life." 

Proverbs 4: 23 

"For it is from within, out of a person's heart, that evil 

thoughts come - sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 

greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, 

blasphemy, pride and folly. 

All these evils come from inside and defile a person."

Mark 7:21-23 

   

Our heart; our centre; our soul; our spirit, is what 

animates our body, decides our actions.

If this place is first and foremost preoccupied with money,

greed, selfishness, secrecy and lies easily comes with it, 

and it can soon become a cause of division and betrayal. 

Judas Iscariot, who we all know as one of Jesus's chosen 

apostles, fell into this trap. He was the accountant in charge 

of the money, and when he realised what he had done to Jesus

he went away and hung himself.

Even though Jesus Himself knew beforehand what Judas was

going to do, He announced it during the Last Supper, He

would have instantly forgiven Judas for his betrayal, but

the problem was that Judas did not forgive himself, and he

did not think that forgiveness was possible. 

We talk a lot about mental health today, and we believe that 

we are better equipped to maintain it in a good state by 

constantly talking about our feelings.

But what about our conscience? Our conscience is where 

God resides, it is where He talks to us, gives us feedback. 

We hear His voice. 

God is light, and this light illuminates our conscience, 

if we are still in good mentally and psychologically health.

A guilty conscience is painful, we are heavy,

we are not happy. We might try to chase it away, but that

does not work.

It is a bit like the nerves in our bodies that signals to our brain

when we have pain somewhere, we feel the pain and we take

action to deal with it, we go to the doctor.

But many people do nothing about their guilty conscience.

And here is why we as Catholics know without any shadow 

of a doubt that we have the fullness of Faith, because we have

a Sacrament that forgives our sins, the Sacrament of 

Reconciliation, The Sacrament of Confession, where we are 

forgiven, our sin is wiped away, forgotten, we are reconciled to God. 

It is so incredibly beautiful, because it is true. 

But now, imagine what a wrongdoing, or even an imagined 

wrongdoing, will do to our mental health if we keep it to ourself,

because we dare not even give voice to it, we are horrified and

ashamed, we shut it down.

But this does not go away, it does not disappear, it is felt by the

person but after some time it is often outside of the person's 

awareness; but the mind feels it, the body feels it too. 

There are consequences, because it is being left untreated. 

The longer it festers, the graver the consequences.

Herein many mental health problems and psychiatric illnesses 

have their origins and roots.

Due to the mind's astounding capacity for twisting and rewriting 

events, to justify itself, it can be covered up, 

but the light of the conscience never lies. 

 A person can appear to be "functioning" in society, and at the 

same time be spiritually insane, in which case he is no longer 

" a rational, embodied soul - a "subsistent" union of a body and 

soul" (Thomas Aquinas definition)

He can appear more or less "normal", and even nice, and at

the same time be filled by hatred, desire for revenge, or a guilty 

conscience in constant fight mode to suppress, which 

outwardly can manifest itself in aggressive behaviour against 

the victim, or perceived victim. 

He will not hesitate to use whatever he has at hand, he 

might use even his own children. 

The union of body and soul is broken, even the 

physical bodily pain alert signals to 

sickness, is not received or reacted on.