Pope: Cupidity destroys relations between people and leads to idolatry

Cupidity, being attached to money, destroys relationships between people and, in the end, " is a tool of idolatry , because it takes the path contrary to the one God has taken with us" "Jesus Christ, who was rich, became poor to make us rich ." 

And the right path is not "the path of poverty for poverty's sake" but "the path of poverty as an instrument, so that God be God" because "all the goods that we posses were given us by the Lord to make the world go round, humanity progress, to help, to help others".

Pope Francis spoke about our correct relationship with "material goods" during mass this morning at Casa Santa Marta , commenting on today's Gospel , in which a man asks Jesus to intervene to resolve a matter of inheritance with his brother.

As published by Vatican Radio in Italian, the Pope noted that the problem of the relationship with money "is an every day problem. How many families have we seen destroyed by money problems: brother against brother, father against son ... This is the first thing that this attitude of being attached to money does, it destroys! When a person is attached to money, he destroys himself , he destroys his family ! Money destroys! It does! Being too attached to it. Money is needed to do good things, many tasks to develop humanity, but when your heart is too attached to it, it will destroy you".

Jesus tells the parable of the rich man, who lives to accumulate "treasure for himself " and "is not enriched by God ." Jesus warns the people to stay away from all covetousness, "That's what does wrong: cupidity in my relationship with money. Wanting more, more, more ... It leads to idolatry, it destroys relationships with others! Not the money, but the attitude, which is called cupidity. This cupidity will also make you sick, because it makes you think of everything in terms of money. It destroys you and makes you sick ... In the end - and this is the most important thing - greed is a tool of idolatry, because takes the path contrary to the one God has taken with us. St. Paul tells us that Jesus Christ, who was rich, became poor to enrich us. That is the path of God, humility, bending down to serve. Instead cupidity leads you on the opposite path: you, who are a poor man, make yourself God out of vanity. This is idolatry".

This is why Jesus says such "hard, strong things against this attachment to money. He tells us that you can not serve two masters: either God or money. He tells us not to worry, that the Lord knows what we need," and invites us to "trusting abandonment to the Father, who makes the lilies bloom in the field and feeds the birds " . 

The rich man in the parable continues to think only of wealth, but God says, "You fool, this night your life will be demanded". "This path contrary to the path of God is foolishness, it takes you away from life, it destroys all human fraternity".

"The Lord teaches us the path to take: it is not the path of poverty for poverty's sake. No. It is the path of poverty as an instrument, so that God is God, because He is the only Lord, not the idol of gold! And all the goods that we have, the Lord gives them to us to make the world go round, so humanity can progress, to help, to help others. May the Word of the Lord remain in our hearts: 'Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one's life does not consist of possessions. '"