How Should Christians View Money?

Whenever money and Christianity are spoken about together it always seems to be about donations or tithing. But if that is a small portion of our money that we give, why is no one talking about the rest of our money? What is its purpose? What do we do with it? Can we do whatever we want with it? How should Christians view money?

With our daughter to be born in a few months, I have been told quite a bit that I should think about saving money. “Save, save, save.” I have also heard many people discuss the costs of having children which makes me wonder… “What is my duty as a parent to provide for my family? Financially, but also physically, spiritually, and emotionally.”

Turns out, the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) answers this question under the section on Loving Your Neighbor as Yourself.

1. Create a Home

“Parents have the first responsibility for the education of their children. They bear witness to this responsibility by creating a home where tenderness, respect, fidelity, and disinterested service are the rule. The home is well suited for education in the virtues. This requires an apprenticeship in self-denial, sound judgement, and self-mastery – the preconditions of all true freedom. Parents should teach their children to subordinate the ‘material and instinctual dimensions to interior and spiritual ones.'” – CCC 2223

So, a loving home with values is more important than anything we have! In fact, we should teach our family from the beginning that spiritual things should be ordered before material things and that immediate gratification does not give you freedom or joy. This is so different from the mentality so many of us are raised with. However, we must need some material things… so the Catechism continues:

“Parents’ respect and affection are expressed by the care and attention they devote to bringing up their young children and providing for their physical and spiritual needs” – CCC 2228

We can love our family by providing for them all of the food, shelter, and care that they need. That seems pretty basic and obvious, but beyond that, we are starting to see that every object we own has a purpose. Clothing is to be worn, books are to be read, and the couch is to be sat on.

2. Proper Use of Goods

Paragraphs 2404 and 2405 of the Catechism explain that everything we own should not be seen as belonging to only us. Rather, what we own belongs truly to everyone that could benefit from these things. By owning something, you have a responsibility to use that object for its created purpose, first in service of your family, and then for the greatest number of people possible. This includes land, businesses, and even any skills that you have. Your time, talent, and treasure exist to serve God, your family, and others. These are all gifts given to you by God and to not use them is a waste!

As far as our belongings, we all own something in the back of our closet that hasn’t been touched in a year or more. Are we stealing an opportunity for that object to be used for its true purpose by hoarding it? If it is not benefiting you or your family, maybe it actually belongs to someone else who could use it and should be sold or donated.

Money has a purpose as a system of trust that allows people to exchange goods and services for the benefit of society. Sometimes, to ensure we can provide for our family we have to save that money, but we are also called to use it in a way that will bear most fruit. Therefore, keeping money under a mattress or in an account that will never grow may be a waste as well. Some money should be in a place where it can be used right away when our family needs it, but if we don’t need it right away, maybe it should be invested in a good business that can be productive with it and later provide goods and services to others as well as a return to us.

3. The Precept of Detachment

This brings us lastly to Jesus’ words to us. In Luke 14:33 Jesus says, “everyone of you who does not renounce all of his possessions cannot be my disciple.”

Whoa.

Does that mean we have to sell everything we own like the rich young man in the Bible? Well, no. But you should be willing to if God asked. This is called an attitude of detachment. Jesus wants us all to want him more than we want anything else (CCC 2544). This is essential for us to get to heaven. When we die, our possessions won’t be able to serve us any more. Only Jesus. That is why we need to practice loving Jesus more than our things right now.

So ask yourself, have I created a good home? Do I use my possessions well to serve my family and the greatest number of people? Do I put more trust in my money or in God who gave it to me in the first place? This is extremely difficult to practice, but start with small things to try out detachment.

• Clean out your closet and donate things that are going unused
• Give a away something to a friend as a gift
• Donate any amount of money to something extra this month
• Donate used books

Feel free to share more ways we can grow in detachment in the comments! What are your thoughts on how Christians should view money?

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*For those who don’t know, the Catechism is a big book full of Church teachings on the foundations of what we believe and how to live as a Christian. This was my go-to resource as a missionary and you should get yourself a copy here.