Give till it hurts?

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Condottiero

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I wasn’t sure where else to post this, but is it wrong to recreate? If I had enough money to buy a vacation home or a boat or something of the like, would it be morally wrong to buy it and enjoy it (assuming that I’m also giving money charitably and not just spending money on my own pleasure)? Thoughts?
 
Keep in mind that when you buy a boat, you are helping keep the people who make and sell boats in business so they can feed their families.

You can always pray about your charitable giving, and give what the Holy Spirit inspires you to give.

Can it be more? In my case, right now, the answer is yes … and thanks for the reminder.

Below is a quote from Mother Teresa’s book: “Love: A Fruit Always in Season” …

“It is not a sin to be rich. There must be a reason why some people can afford to live well. They must have worked for it. But I tell you this provokes avarice, and there comes sin. Richness is given by God and it is our duty to divide it with those less favored.”

~~ page 182

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Condottiero said:
I wasn’t sure where else to post this, but is it wrong to recreate? If I had enough money to buy a vacation home or a boat or something of the like, would it be morally wrong to buy it and enjoy it (assuming that I’m also giving money charitably and not just spending money on my own pleasure)? Thoughts?
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Depends. If you have taken vows of poverty it would be terribly wrong, but I’m assuming you are not a religious, in which case its fine, as long as its for your own enjoyment and not to show off to others of how successful you are (that would lack humility).
 
Condottiero said:
I wasn’t sure where else to post this, but is it wrong to recreate? If I had enough money to buy a vacation home or a boat or something of the like, would it be morally wrong to buy it and enjoy it (assuming that I’m also giving money charitably and not just spending money on my own pleasure)? Thoughts?
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  1. Assuming your finances are flush enough, there’s nothing more virtuous about having money in the bank rather than having a boat. (I’m assuming that the hypothetical person has adequate emergency savings, no debt, paid off cars, paid off primary home, adequate retirement savings, adequate giving, and so forth, and is paying cash for the boat or second home.)
  2. Dave Ramsey’s rule is to own no more than the equivalent of 50% of yearly income in things with motors. So, for instance, if you make $100k a year, own no more than $50k worth of cars, RVs, boats, motorcycles, and various things that go VROOM VROOM. That’s regardless of whether or not you are paying cash for the items. (I assume there’s an exception for individuals with large savings but moderate yearly income.)
  3. Is the item actually going to be used? Will the boat sit idle and will the second home gather dust? A lot of them do and many of them eventually become a nuisance to the owners.
  4. Will the item give enjoyment to people other than just the owner? (Many second homes and boats do.)
  5. A reasonable level of charity is going to vary a lot depending on age, marital status, income level, number of children, presence of special need children or adults in the family, etc. Even just based on income, a reasonable percentage for giving will be lower for lower income people, higher for higher income people.
Best wishes!
 
The idea is to deny yourself some of the time, in order to give alms, such that you give yourself significantly less than you would if you treated everything you have as for your pleasure alone. It is not necessary to deny yourself all of the time.
 
No it is not a sin to have things you can afford. It is a sin to buy too many things you can’t pay for and then file for bankruptcy. If you feel you are not giving enough to charity than give more. If you want to buy the boat and can afford it, there is no reason not to. Spending money is good for the economy. If makes jobs so others can afford things too.
Where do you draw the line? That is something that anyone can ask. Even if it’s something like going out for dinner. I could go or stay home and give the money to charity. It is a never ending question.
I would say if you have that little voice calling you to be more charitable, then give more so your conscience will be clearer. You are not obliged to give it all away.
 
Maybe St Vincent de Paul would give you better insights. His Daughters of Charity are like Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity. But you will see maybe that quote of mother Teresa is particularly related to her religious life. From being a nun/priest -consecrated life. As for laity, much discretion and prudence is needed. Here are PDF files of St Vincent dear Paul’s writings. It’s quite large but it’s worth it.

Good books
 
sscott said:
No it is not a sin to have things you can afford. It is a sin to buy too many things you can’t pay for and then file for bankruptcy.
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Eh, not a fan of bankruptcy, but I don’t think the sin is in the bankruptcy. Especially these days in the US for upper earners, bankruptcy is not a get-out-of-jail card.

legalmatch.com/law-library/article/new-bankruptcy-laws-changes-to-chapter-7.html

nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/new-bankruptcy-law-chapter-7-13-30040.html

Bankruptcy is way less fun than it used to be, and it never was much fun.
 
I’ve asked myself similar questions many times. Lately it is: when is it OK to quit working, retire, and plan most of your days around relaxing and just hanging out, doing things you couldn’t do when working (while still doing some volunteer work)? I don’t know the answer. I keep praying and asking God. It sure didn’t seem to be an issue with the saints I’ve read, possibly because so many of them seem to have died pretty young and never got to my age. So much of the Bible speaks about helping the poor, and the wealthy seem to be challenged to give up their wealth.
 
AnneTeresa said:
I’ve asked myself similar questions many times. Lately it is: when is it OK to quit working, retire, and plan most of your days around relaxing and just hanging out, doing things you couldn’t do when working (while still doing some volunteer work)? I don’t know the answer. I keep praying and asking God. It sure didn’t seem to be an issue with the saints I’ve read, possibly because so many of them seem to have died pretty young and never got to my age. So much of the Bible speaks about helping the poor, and the wealthy seem to be challenged to give up their wealth.
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Just pragmatically, I think people do get bored with that or run out of money. If one retires at 65 and lives until 95, that’s a loooong loooong time to live on your savings. I think semi-retirement is probably more prudent than 100% retirement (assuming reasonably good health).

Also, if one has enough grandchildren, that alone could keep one very busy.
 
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