Remedies for Avarice We fight avarice with generosity, liberality, kindness, and mercy. "Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy." (Matt. 5:7). Generosity bespeaks a healthy disposition of heart. It opens the door to greater love of God, to peace of mind, to consideration for others. Holy Scripture tells us, "It is a more blessed thing to give, rather than to receive." (Acts 20:35). Even if we are not wealthy, we can wean our hearts from material things and spend less money on ourselves in order to be able to give something to the poor, to missions, and to other works of charity. We need to practice charity and detachment in order not to become too much attached to things of this world. We must not let the anxieties of this life, with its riches, its vanity of honors and its passing pleasures, prevent or distract us from seeking the true riches of the life to come. In conclusion, it may be well to add that covetousness may have a spiritual counterpart in our exercises of piety, when we seek only spiritual delight in them for ourselves. We ought rather to perform them with a desire to express our love for God and to fulfill His will, which we know from the first lesson of the Catechism to be the purpose of our life on earth. |