Is it wrong to want to be successful? To be powerful? To be ambitious? To be self made?

[LilyM]

All of the above and more apparently. :\

How so? If you ask me, money is irrelevant. It’s the people who hold them that are accountable and I don’t think them being rich should be something that should immediately be held against them.

The more money you earn and spend, the more opportunity for others to accuse you of dishonesty or mismanagement. Often the motive for such is jealousy.

Mother Teresa was a rarity in being personally poor but still in charge of sizable donations. And of a high enough profile for some to doubtless be jealous of her.

 

[Julia_Mae]

How so? The parable is simple enough to NOT misunderstand. If you don’t invest in and make god use of your gifts or talents, you are the third lazy servant: a lazy coward afraid of what he has been given.

The parable has elements that represent something else, correct?

14“It will be as when a man who was going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them.

The man is God. The servants are us. The question here is what are the possessions?

To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one—to each according to his ability.

Actual talents are just money. What God gives us is life and circumstance. Our lives may be long or short, simple or full of wildly varying experiences. The life we are placed in here, the whole of it, are the “talents.” What do we do with our lives?

Then he went away. Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five. Likewise, the one who received two made another two. But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money. After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five.

God comes and takes back our lives to Himself and we bring Him… what? Why would Jesus have told the rich young man to give away all he had, if things mattered? When you leave, the things stay here. Jesus had friends who had a lot of things. The difference between the ones who see the Kingdom and the ones who don’t, is that some of them saw Jesus not their wealth, and some walk by the poor man at the door because they are so focused on their wealth.

How is running away from a world that you may as well have calling to make you no different than that servant?

I have no idea what this means. I have never suggested anyone “run away from the world.” I think it would be a good thing if we all “ran toward” God, though.

I can neither help my parents or the poor if someone took your quoted passage literally.

Jesus advice to the man was not a parable, He was speaking as literally as possible. God provides your job and the ability to accomplish it and with that the means to provide for your parents. You choose: help mom and dad or buy myself more stuff. It’s not your money, after all. It’s just entrusted to you like all other things in your life. You invest that money for God when you give it away.

A lot of the poor become parasites that way.

Jesus would call them an opportunity for Grace. They are here for our benefit, so we have a place to invest our talents. They would not exist at all, if everyone did.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

Mother Teresa was a rarity in being personally poor but still in charge of sizable donations. And of a high enough profile for some to doubtless be jealous of her.

Perhaps, but even statements like this:

The more money you earn and spend, the more opportunity for others to accuse you of dishonesty or mismanagement. Often the motive for such is jealousy.

Only indicate that Mother Teresa did receive (and needed) large amounts of money and that money itself is a necessary means.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

God comes and takes back our lives to Himself and we bring Him… what? Why would Jesus have told the rich young man to give away all he had, if things mattered? When you leave, the things stay here. Jesus had friends who had a lot of things. The difference between the ones who see the Kingdom and the ones who don’t, is that some of them saw Jesus not their wealth, and some walk by the poor man at the door because they are so focused on their wealth.

Who said anything about storing up earthly riches? What you’re describing is hoarding and so far, the only time I’ve done that is with MMO loots (something that people don’t even need).

Again, you think I want a third servant routine because I chose to run away from my responsibility of maximizing my talents because I was afraid of getting paid for it?

I have no idea what this means. I have never suggested anyone “run away from the world.” I think it would be a good thing if we all “ran toward” God, though.

The kind of advice that you give is what me, my father, my mother, along with many other business people have seen used as an excuse for people to talk themselves down and remain in misery (not just financially, but emotionally, socially, and even spiritually).

“I don’t want to earn money cuz it root of all eebil.”

“I’ll just sit here poor and wait to die. That way I’ll be rich in heaven!”

Jesus advice to the man was not a parable, He was speaking as literally as possible. God provides your job and the ability to accomplish it and with that the means to provide for your parents. You choose: help mom and dad or buy myself more stuff. It’s not your money, after all. It’s just entrusted to you like all other things in your life. You invest that money for God when you give it away.

That is not literal. You’re just thinking it is. If we were to go by the hardcore literal understanding of that statement, we’d all leave our parents homes, leave our responsibilities, throw away our fortunes, and live in monasteries.

And FYI? You’re presenting a false dichotomy that is contrary to my paycheck. The good thing about a decent income is that there’s still room for a personal indulgence. Just because I help pay the bills, doesn’t mean I don’t have any left for myself. Sure I wish I could set fire to my electric bill whenever I see it but I still pay. On the other hand, I still have enough left to either pile up some good savings or have some fun every now and then (heck just this weekend I watched Ghost Rider 2 in 3D, ooh I’m so evil ).

Jesus would call them an opportunity for Grace. They are here for our benefit, so we have a place to invest our talents. They would not exist at all, if everyone did.

Yeah well an improved economy will always be a better solution than directly giving to beggars and street urchins.

You know what makes a good economy?

Hard. Working. Citizens.

That includes everyone from you and me with our middle-class salaries all the way up to the rich business people who have the capacity to give poorer people the jobs they need (jobs that we ourselves already have).

 

[LilyM]

Perhaps, but even statements like this:

Only indicate that Mother Teresa did receive (and needed) large amounts of money and that money itself is a necessary means.

Indeed she needed and received it, but she did not do a Bill Gates or a Warren Buffet. She did not start business ventures selling product for a profit (some would say extortionately so), provide herself with every luxury she might desire, and give only the leftovers to charity.

We know what Christ thinks of the Gateses and Buffets of this world when he praises the poor widow who gave only a little but in a genuine self-sacrificing (ie loving) spirit rather than those rich who give as an afterthought.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

Indeed she needed and received it, but she did not do a Bill Gates or a Warren Buffet. She did not start business ventures selling product for a profit (some would say extortionately so), provide herself with every luxury she might desire, and give only the leftovers to charity.

To be fair, how many people do you think a person may hire if they had the enterprise of those billionaires? The Mother Teresa route isn’t the only way a person can use their wealth for the good of all and the glory of God.

 

[TimothyH]

Yeah well an improved economy will always be a better solution than directly giving to beggars and street urchins.

You know what makes a good economy?

Hard. Working. Citizens.

That includes everyone from you and me with our middle-class salaries all the way up to the rich business people who have the capacity to give poorer people the jobs they need (jobs that we ourselves already have).

Making the economy better is fine and good, but you can’t tell your nextdoor neighbor who just lost his job feed his kids with a tax cut. Entrepreneurship doesn’t keep a man who sleeps under the overpass warm in february.

Those street urchins are real human beings, and Jesus Christ said that we will each be judged on how we treat other human beings.

Jesus never said not to live a good life. He did say however, that we are to treat every single person we come across with dignity and respect, and that it is a sin to let someone starve while we have food.

-Tim-

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

Jesus never said not to live a good life. He did say however, that we are to treat every single person we come across with dignity and respect, and that it is a sin to let someone starve while we have food.-Tim-

Treat someone with dignity and respect? Yes.
Give them a reason to mooch off you? No.

Unfortunately, direct giving causes the latter more than the former.
I’ve had personal experience with this.

P.S.

As for your man in the overpass, what’s stopping him from looking for a job? Unless he’s crippled beyond hope, you’re better off giving him one instead of a few cents in a cup.

 

[Lochias]

Treat someone with dignity and respect? Yes.
Give them a reason to mooch off you? No.

Unfortunately, direct giving causes the latter more than the former.
I’ve had personal experience with this.

P.S.

As for your man in the overpass, what’s stopping him from looking for a job? Unless he’s crippled beyond hope, you’re better off giving him one instead of a few cents in a cup.

“Giving them a reason to mooch off of you”…that phrase makes me think that you think you’re entitled to the money and other things you’ve received. How can you think about other people that way, when everything you have is a gift from God in the first place?

And there are many, many things that can stop someone from being able to get a job. Careful, less you let your heart harden to a point that will be very difficult to return from. Giving to those in need is our fastest, surest ticket towards Heaven and God.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

“Giving them a reason to mooch off of you”…that phrase makes me think that you think you’re entitled to the money and other things you’ve received. How can you think about other people that way, when everything you have is a gift from God in the first place?

Since when was enabling sloth a virtue?
And frankly, being made in the image and likeness of God DOES entitle me to what I earn. You reap what you sow. That’s in the Bible too. I have sown hard work and hence, I’m entitled to reap the benefits, not the kids who try and snatch people’s food off their plates when they’re eating outside. (And certainly, not the punk who threatened me because I stopped giving him free crackers the one time I was on counter duty at my parents’ store.)

And there are many, many things that can stop someone from being able to get a job. Careful, less you let your heart harden to a point that will be very difficult to return from. Giving to those in need is our fastest, surest ticket towards Heaven and God.

Read again. Unless you’re crippled and even then, would like to do something productive, there’s no excuse. Everyone’s gotta have a skill at something. To say otherwise would actually spit in the face of our maker and a graver misuse of the gifts He gives all of us.

And fastest ticket to heaven? You know, that motivation is no more selfish and shallow than what I’m being accused of.

 

[Julia_Mae]

Originally Posted by Julia Mae
God comes and takes back our lives to Himself and we bring Him… what? Why would Jesus have told the rich young man to give away all he had, if things mattered? When you leave, the things stay here. Jesus had friends who had a lot of things. …

I don’t know, did you? I didn’t.

What you’re describing is hoarding

I’ve not described hoarding in any way. I told you about the Parable of the talents.

Again, you think I want a third servant routine because I chose to run away from my responsibility of maximizing my talents because I was afraid of getting paid for it?

I think you want? I never said anything about what you want.

Originally Posted by Julia Mae
I have no idea what this means. I have never suggested anyone “run away from the world.” I think it would be a good thing if we all “ran toward” God, though.

The kind of advice that you give…

You realize you are actually arguing with Jesus Christ? I’m not giving advice to you, I am relating Scripture with which you seem unfamiliar. Jesus told you to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and visit the imprisoned. Jesus told you that He would judge you entirely on how you treat the “least” of people.

… is what me, my father, my mother, along with many other business people have seen used as an excuse for people to talk themselves down and remain in misery (not just financially, but emotionally, socially, and even spiritually).

“I don’t want to earn money cuz it root of all eebil.”

So you are socially, morally and economically superior to such people? I’m not sure why you have couched your responses in extremes. Did someone say EARN NO MONEY!! (Well, besides the Church’s great Saint, Francis of Assisi) No one in this thread said that.

“I’ll just sit here poor and wait to die. That way I’ll be rich in heaven!”

“There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day. And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. Dogs even used to come and lick his sores. When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and from the netherworld, where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.

And he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering torment in these flames.’

Abraham replied, ‘My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented."

Like I said, you aren’t arguing with me.

Originally Posted by Julia Mae
Jesus advice to the man was not a parable, He was speaking as literally as possible. …

That is not literal. You’re just thinking it is.

This is not a parable, it is a report of what Jesus said to someone. Jesus called all His disciples to come and follow Him. To leave behind their earthly concerns of that moment. To walk away from their fishing boats and lucrative job as tax collector. He didn’t ask that of everyone, just those who wished to be perfect, as the rich young man did. When He sent His Apostles out, He sent them with nothing but the clothes on their backs. And He expected people to provide what they needed: food and shelter.

Jesus also made clear that we are given our riches if we have them,(see Lazarus above).

If we were to go by the hardcore literal understanding of that statement, we’d all leave our parents homes, leave our responsibilities, throw away our fortunes, and live in monasteries.

But Jesus didn’t tell everyone to do that, did He? But He did tell some things to everyone. He told everyone how they would be judged, as I pointed out above. You will be judged by how many of the people you hold in such contempt as you have demonstrated here, you have fed.

And FYI? You’re presenting a false dichotomy that is contrary to my paycheck.

I’m not presenting anything, I am quoting and referring to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who is my Lord and my God.

The good thing about a decent income is that there’s still room for a personal indulgence.

Or to give it away to those who don’t have a decent income.

On the other hand, I still have enough left to either pile up some good savings or have some fun every now and then (heck just this weekend I watched Ghost Rider 2 in 3D, ooh I’m so evil ).

Approximately 2 thousand people died of starvation while you were doing so.

Originally Posted by Julia Mae
Jesus would call them an opportunity for Grace. They are here for our benefit, so we have a place to invest our talents. They would not exist at all, if everyone did.

Yeah well an improved economy will always be a better solution than directly giving to beggars and street urchins.

By “street urchins” I presume you mean hungry children? By “beggars” I presume you mean the man Lazarus kept walking by?

The issue ITT is not the economy. The issue is following Christ in His Church and what happens as we dedicate ourselves to knowing Him and being unified with Him. What might try and stop that? How do we deal with that push/pull from the Liar on one side and our own soul’s yearning to be united with God forever on the other?

You know what makes a good economy?

Do you know what makes for the good of your soul?

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

I’ve not described hoarding in any way. I told you about the Parable of the talents.

No, you’re describing hoarding, as in hoarding earthly riches even if you can’t take them with you. No duh, of course you can’t. Hence, I don’t advocate it either.

You realize you are actually arguing with Jesus Christ? I’m not giving advice to you, I am relating Scripture with which you seem unfamiliar. Jesus told you to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and visit the imprisoned. Jesus told you that He would judge you entirely on how you treat the “least” of people.

Right and in Galatians 6:7, it is written:

Make no mistake: God is not mocked, for a person will reap only what he sows,

Rather presumptuous of you to act like you speak for Jesus. What are you? The Pope?

So you are socially, morally and economically superior to such people? I’m not sure why you have couched your responses in extremes. Did someone say EARN NO MONEY!! (Well, besides the Church’s great Saint, Francis of Assisi) No one in this thread said that.

You’ve actually proving my point. Why do I have a feeling that’s actually what you’d like everyone to do? People who say such things are more likely to make excuses to forsake familial and social responsibilities towards productivity.

Way to accelerate the decline of our civilization.

Like I said, you aren’t arguing with me.

Right… comparing a guy with a middle class income to a guy who’s got gold… really fair comparison right there.

He didn’t ask that of everyone, just those who wished to be perfect, as the rich young man did.

The Gnostics believed the same thing. Guess where that line of thinking led them? Good thing the Church is there to tell people that not everyone has a vocation to self-poverty and neither are those in such vocations any more superior than those who choose to pursue a career.

When He sent His Apostles out, He sent them with nothing but the clothes on their backs. And He expected people to provide what they needed: food and shelter.

Jesus also made clear that we are given our riches if we have them,(see Lazarus above).

Right and encouraging social parasitism is a way to give them food and shelter. Nice. I wonder why the Church opposed socialism.

But Jesus didn’t tell everyone to do that, did He? But He did tell some things to everyone. He told everyone how they would be judged, as I pointed out above. You will be judged by how many of the people you hold in such contempt as you have demonstrated here, you have fed.

Contempt? Judged? You claim I’m not familiar with scripture yet you don’t know that scripture also said we will be measured by what we measure by. If you measure me by my own standards, I am indeed a little more productive than the loiterers I encounter.

I’m not presenting anything, I am quoting and referring to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who is my Lord and my God.

Really? Sounds like the Gospel of Socialism if you ask me.

Or to give it away to those who don’t have a decent income.

Oh yes so that they can then start living easy without so much as breaking a sweat. Meanwhile, I’m doing work for them? What about MY human rights?

Approximately 2 thousand people died of starvation while you were doing so.

And 90% of those people had a chance to alleviate themselves but chose not to. Fortunately, those who followed the path of industriousness are probably benefiting from the payment I give their services.

By “street urchins” I presume you mean hungry children? By “beggars” I presume you mean the man Lazarus kept walking by?

No, I mean children of the entire irresponsible beggar culture and beggars who got their lot as a result of bad choices. You want accountability? There you go.

The issue ITT is not the economy.

Oh I’m sorry. I didn’t know I was talking with someone who has zero knowledge of basic economics and to an extent is familiar with one of the most basic causes of poverty.

Do you know what makes for the good of your soul?

A fair bit. That which includes the proper usage of God’s gifts. The aversion towards laziness. Oh and of course, personal responsibility.

All of which course would make for a nice first step in doing more for your part to improve your country and your people than putting your entire paycheck in a beggar’s cup.

 

[TimothyH]

Treat someone with dignity and respect? Yes.
Give them a reason to mooch off you? No.

Unfortunately, direct giving causes the latter more than the former.
I’ve had personal experience with this.

P.S.

As for your man in the overpass, what’s stopping him from looking for a job? Unless he’s crippled beyond hope, you’re better off giving him one instead of a few cents in a cup.

Other’s have brought up Mother Theresa.

She was asked point blank, right to her face, why she doesn’t work for social justice, raise awareness, and support programs to help the downtrodden lift themselves out of poverty. She did not say that it was bad to do those things, but that she was not called to do those things. She said that she had people dying in the street right now, and they didn’t have time for a program to work, that these people needed help right now, that very moment.

Mother Theresa recognized what some of us don’t, that there is nothing wrong with creating a vibrant economic climate in which the poor can rise to the middle class. There is nothing wrong with working toward social justice, raising awareness, and creating programs to help people, but those things are only part of the solution.

Sometimes a man needs a plate of food right now. The promise of a paycheck some time in the future doesn’t keep a four year old girl living in a trailer with no heat warm at night.

**The poor you will always have with you; but you will not always have me. **(Matthew 26:11)

Christ didn’t create programs, advocate for lower taxes, or work toward reducing poverty. There is nothing wrong with those things, but Jesus Christ is found in real people, who need help today. Right now.

-Tim-

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

Sometimes a man needs a plate of food right now. The promise of a paycheck some time in the future doesn’t keep a four year old girl living in a trailer with no heat warm at night.

**The poor you will always have with you; but you will not always have me. **(Matthew 26:11)

Christ didn’t create programs, advocate for lower taxes, or work toward reducing poverty. There is nothing wrong with those things, but Jesus Christ is found in real people, who need help today. Right now.

That’s true but that doesn’t mean we have the capacity to give them that help either. As you yourself have presented, we don’t have the time, or the actual spare cash to instantly alleviate these people. Every cent still counts for us. Our bosses might have more capacity but not the people like me and my work buddies, mentally slaving away in our cubicles. That’s the thing about being middle-class here. You’re not suffering in a dark alley but you’re not made of money either. If anything, doing our jobs to improve the economy is our calling (and it could be also the OP’s calling).

 

[TimothyH]

That’s true but that doesn’t mean we have the capacity to give them that help either. As you yourself have presented, we don’t have the time, or the actual spare cash to instantly alleviate these people. Every cent still counts for us. Our bosses might have more capacity but not the people like me and my work buddies, mentally slaving away in our cubicles. That’s the thing about being middle-class here. You’re not suffering in a dark alley but you’re not made of money either. If anything, doing our jobs to improve the economy is our calling (and it could be also the OP’s calling).

I think it is imporant to remember that “These people” are individual humans, not some nameless and faceless group. I also think it is important to remember that we are not trying to instantly bring them into a self-sufficient state.

We are meeting individuals face to face, one human created by God meeting another human being created by God. That’s how Christ worked. That’s how Christ taught the disciples to work. That’s why we can’t do confessions over the phone - Christ worked face to face. And we are not trying to solve every problem in their lives. That is a great mistake many make, that because we can’t help someone in the way we would like - make them self sufficient and productive members of society - that we shouldn’t do anything.

God teaches us that there is value to all life and merit for both us and them to alleviating suffering, even if it is on some small way. That is why Mother Theresa brought dying people into her facility, bathed them, treated their wounds, fed them, rocked them in her arms and sang to them, and prayed with them, knowing full well that they might die in a few days or even a few hours. She wasn’t trying to solve their problems. She was trying to give a human being some dignity and alleviate some suffering, knowing full well that they were about to die anyway.

You mentioned a few coins in a cup earlier. That’s the thing with God. He can do things with a few coins in a cup. Sister Angelical started EWTN with $250 and a tape recorder and built it into the largest Christian broadcasting organization in the world. Mother Theresa went to Calcutta with $40, a rosary and the clothes on her back. When she landed in India, she got off the plane, went to the nearest rectory, knocked on the door and said, “Jesus wants me to sleep here tonight.”

Look at the boy with five loaves and two fishes. Jesus feeds thousands with it.

Doing our jobs is one of our callings. I agree 100%. That is one of the things which Opus Dei focuses on - holiness through ordinary lives, especially through our work. If you havn’t looked into Opus Dei, then I would recommend taking a look. They take work. whether it is a doctor or a lawyer or a ditch digger or a mother changing a diaper, they take it very seriously as a way to sanctify themselves and the entire world. St. Josemaria Escriva is a saint because of exactly that. I think you might be interested in Opus Dei, or just like reading some of his writing, based on your posts.

But sometimes Christ walks up to us and asks us if we have a few coins to spare so that he can buy a hot chocolate and stay warm. And we don’t try to solve every problem he has. We just give him a few quarters so he can stay warm, smile, treat him with respect, and pray for him. That’s all.

-Tim-

 

[LilyM]

Amen! And when Jesus said to feed the poor, clothe the naked and so forth He didn’t say to stop and ask whether they ‘deserve’ that help first.

LW, I see your point and it’s a good one, but it only goes so far.

Yes, you may work hard and earn money for doing so. Well and good.

But you can be sure there are people out there who use their gifts better than you and work harder than you and reap much less financial reward. Not through the slightest fault of their own, but merely because their talents happen to lie in areas that are not as ‘in demand’ right now, and so less well paid, and they might not have the ability or talents to retrain successfully in an ‘in demand’ area.

For that matter there are people who work far less than you do and get paid a heap more as well. Are they any more deserving of their wealth than you simply because they have more than you? I say not always - in fact I say wealth and hard work and other worthy attributes are not very strongly linked.

Other’s have brought up Mother Theresa.

She was asked point blank, right to her face, why she doesn’t work for social justice, raise awareness, and support programs to help the downtrodden lift themselves out of poverty. She did not say that it was bad to do those things, but that she was not called to do those things. She said that she had people dying in the street right now, and they didn’t have time for a program to work, that these people needed help right now, that very moment.

Mother Theresa recognized what some of us don’t, that there is nothing wrong with creating a vibrant economic climate in which the poor can rise to the middle class. There is nothing wrong with working toward social justice, raising awareness, and creating programs to help people, but those things are only part of the solution.

Sometimes a man needs a plate of food right now. The promise of a paycheck some time in the future doesn’t keep a four year old girl living in a trailer with no heat warm at night.

**The poor you will always have with you; but you will not always have me. **(Matthew 26:11)

Christ didn’t create programs, advocate for lower taxes, or work toward reducing poverty. There is nothing wrong with those things, but Jesus Christ is found in real people, who need help today. Right now.

-Tim-

 

[Nate13]

Father Barron put this well when he said:
“When talking about wealth its not about the what its about the how.”

Its not about what you have its about how you hold on to it. If you have a lot of wealth but recognize that everything you have comes from God and that you are merely the steward of it you are holding it the right way most likely.

Father Barron expresses this beautifully in the 2 episode of the “Catholicism” series.

 

[Lilsheep88]

This is becoming a very interesting debate however it is really far from the main point I am trying to get at… anyway, interesting points here. I was sort of just trying to get at hard work and being ambitious in general and the focus wasnt really on Money.

but LostWanderer is kind of right… God gave everybody hands and everybody should work. Sloth should be discouraged.

 

[Credo_in_Deum]

Being ambitious usually always leads to vainglory; pride.

catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=625

 

[Lilsheep88]

Thank You for that…
PS: I have a found a spiritual director. Thank You.

it’s not a matter of how hard you work, how much you make, what you have, how successful you are…what matters is that you do all that for God, there’s something wrong when we do everything for ourselves, for our own good pleasure, our own comfort and ease, and not for the sole purpose of pleasing God and giving all glory to Him.
we were made for God alone and will only be truly happy with Him alone.
God may give you money today and take it all away tomorrow, then where is your happiness? a truly wise man will seek to obtain God above all else, and by doing so will be joyful and at peace no matter what God gives and takes away…because a wise man knows God takes care of all his needs…

and does faith make us weak? not at all, faith is trust in God based on reason rather than visual proof, and it takes a strong person(strong by the grace of God) to place their trust in God and believe what He says and follow all His commands and teachings, even going as far as being nailed to the cross with Him…figuratively speaking, as so many of the saints were,
faith drives us to keep going, to keep enduring…but it’s those who give up because of how hard things are that are weak, we don’t give up to seek harder things do we?..well, not intentionally anyways, because in all truth, to abandon our faith and seek a path other than Christs path is to make things far harder than they were, because without Christ there to help carry our cross, it will surely crush us.

true strength is in and from God alone, without God you are nothing and without strength, so in all honesty, you are weak, we all are, and it takes a very humble man to admit to that…while on the other hand, it’s a very proud man who says “I am strong on my own” and pride is only being a liar with yourself, it is the vice of lies, and lies come from a weakness within ourselves, from a fear of not wanting to face something, or to be more specific, of not wanting to face the truth.

faith is not making you submissive, faith only teaches you that we are all completely and utterly dependent on God for everything, what makes you really submissive is the fact that without God you can do nothing, but that is true no matter what you believe, so it’s not something that just happens because of what you do or believe, it’s true all the time, and you either accept it or you don’t, but that doesn’t change a thing.

money may be essential in this life, and quite necessary, but it won’t make you happy, as many famous actors and singers and other wealthy people discovered right before committing suicide…when you get everything you want in this life, then it all seems so meaningless…and it’s true, having everything you want from the material world is very empty, because while you may love money and things…they don’t love you back,
what will really give us purpose in life and meaning and joy, is God…
to love is wonderful…but to be loved is indescribable, especially to be loved by God, whose love is perfect, and which we do not deserve, which we will be asking Him of for all eternity, why He loves us?
love is also a mystery to us, we do not fully understand it by any means, and will not completely 100% understand it for all eternity, because God Himself is love, and His love is infinite…we can somewhat understand love now, by comparing it with the feelings it brings, or with what it inspires us to do…but in heaven we will see love and experience it and express it in ways we cannot now imagine…
sorry to ramble on…but do you not see that there is a much greater goal in life? this life is short and very often disappointing…it’s not worth spending so much time on…figuratively speaking…because why spend so much time and hard work on something you’re just going to have to lose eventually? why not spend as much time as you can earning treasure in heaven?
if you see the true value of anything, you will see that there is no real value in money or worldly success, although those things are useful, but they go away…and what you’re deciding between here is not merely faith and money/success, but heaven and hell! it’s not easy to get to heaven, we climb up to heaven, which takes strength, but hell is easy to go to, it’s a steep road, and we can move very swiftly down it with no effort at all…

we’ve spoken several times before on similar things…and i am very curious, do you read any books on the lives and writings of the saints? or any catholic literature on the spiritual life at all? and if so, what ones have you read?
i think i’ve said it before, but i’ll say it again, your understanding of the Catholic faith is very poor, if you really knew the teachings of Christ and His church, you would not be saying or wondering these things…you need to learn your faith more extensively, especially in matters of virtue and the meaning of life(to know, love, and serve God in this life, so that we may be happy with Him in the next) i’m not saying this to be mean(and i apologize if i come off that way) but i just want to encourage you to seek out a better Catholic education, so that you’re not so burdened with these confusions and misunderstandings of the faith.