What should a Catholic think about the opulence and formality of high society?

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Take for example the Catholic French aristocracy before the revolution, where they had extravagant wealth and had considerable formality and of behavior and custom? Are Catholics allowed to have such luxurious lifestyles?
 
Remember that you are, to an extent, thinking of a different time. Nonetheless, it’s still a relevant topic.

The Church doesn’t condemn wealth. European aristocrats can be practising, faithful Catholics and some are even saints or blesseds.

It is the misuse of wealth that the Church condemns. It’s not a sin to buy a new BMW, as an example. However, if the object of all your desires is the new BMW, or if you struggle to provide for your family, your own needs or possibly the needs of the poor or the Church, then it might well be.

Materialism and consumerism is worrying and wrong. Great wealth can lead people down these paths of trusting in money and objects rather than God.

Being wealthy doesn’t mean you have to trust in money or objects more than God.

Wealth is not a sin, it’s the misuse of wealth that’s the problem.
 
First off welcome to the community

The short answer to your question : yes Catholics are allowed to be a part of that culture

Long answer: what @catholic03 said
 
I figure if people are tithing ten percent, then they are okay, as long as they are not getting rich through immoral means.
 
I do not resent the rich and will typically give them the benefit of the doubt. It’s not for me to judge. Having said that, none us not morally “ok” just by meeting your criteria.

I strongly suggest reading Mathew 25:31-40. I don’t begrudge wealth of displays if wealth, but each of us should be very wary of that particular passage in the Bible.
 
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Maybe not in and of itself, but you wouldn’t want to take it so far that you lose your head.
 
At least one virtue, magnificence, is only possible for the wealthy. To have great wealth is a temporal blessing, but I think that an ostentatious show of wealth is vanity, and sinful. It’s also not prudent.

The three great worldy temptations are wealth, power, and pleasure. None of these are evil, actually, they are all goods; but they can easily eclipse God and become vicious if we pursue them directly as end goals in life, rather than beneficial bonuses, and opportunities for virtue.
 
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