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For many of those with the most, greed is still good

04 Mar 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

“If God is for us, who can be against us?” asks Saint Paul in this Sunday’s second reading, suggesting that followers of Christ were entitled to confidently expect much from God. God will “give us everything else” along with the gift already offered of the only Son, Paul promises. The rich are also feeling pretty entitled these days, a new study suggests--so much so that they are more likely to lie, cheat, cut off pedestrians when driving, engage in illegal behavior, and, yes, even take candy from children. A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reported that researchers at the University of California at Berkeley analyzed a person's rank in society (measured by wealth, occupational prestige, and education) and found that those who were richer were more likely to engage in unethical activities than those who were poorer. “We found that it is much more prevalent for people in the higher ranks of society to see greed and self-interest . . . as good pursuits,” said Paul Piff, lead author of the study and a doctoral candidate at Berkeley. “This resonates with a lot of current events these days.” The report contradicts the notion that poor people are more likely to act unethically out of financial necessity. Instead, the researchers wrote the "relative independence" and "increased privacy" of the wealthy make them more likely to act unethically. They also share "feelings of entitlement and inattention to the consequences of one's actions on others" that may play into their moral decisions. In one experiment, wealthier people took twice as many candies as poorer people from a jar that had been designated for children. In another study, nearly half of all drivers of expensive cars cut off pedestrians at crosswalks, while no drivers of the cheapest cars and about 30 percent of drivers of cheaper cars did the same thing. Other experiments indicated that rich people were more likely to cheat in a game and lie to a potential job applicant about the possibility that their position was being eliminated than were their poorer counterparts. The study adds to a growing body of evidence indicating that the rich tend to be less sensitive than others. The mere mention of money makes people less generous, less helpful, and less likely to look for teammates, according to research by Kathleen Vohs, a marketing professor at the University of Minnesota. A study by Adam Waytz and Nicholas Epley, professors at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago respectively, found that people with more social connections are more likely to dehumanize others. And a report from researchers at the University of California-Berkeley released in December came to a similar conclusion: That rich people are less likely to feel empathy. "This has some pretty clear implications," said Piff. "Inequality is very much on Americans' minds, and the potential effects of severe inequality on individual levels of behavior are major." At the same time it's difficult to say whether richer people get to the top because of their unethical behavior or whether wealth causes people to become this way, said Piff. "It seems like a vicious cycle." Sources: Articles by Bonnie Kavoussi for The Huffington Post and Miaela Conley for ABC News

wealthy rich greed entitlement self-interest paul piff adam waytz nicholas epley kathleen vohs inequality

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Exploring the word

31 Jul 2016 - Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

The best things in life—aren't things. Somewhere deep down, many of us suspect this. Some may even accept it and strive to live in the direction of higher values. However, the world is chock full of wonderful, wonderful things and we all want some of them. Maybe lots of them. I know I do. I get that world peace is important. And I want to save the environment and clean up our energy, water, and food supply. Justice is a top-shelf priority, no doubt about it. Ending world hunger, preventing disease—I'm on board, count me in. A loving family and the company of friends is really good, certainly more vital to existence than having a new car. But I want the car, too. And a better kitchen. A bigger apartment, actually. A niftier vacation than the one I can presently afford. Like the one in the magazines. We ruminate in this way often, daydream about having enough money to get all the stuff. And if we have enough money, we find our daydream expanding to a new horizon, creating even more pseudo-needs. As every rich person will tell you, the only thing better than a million dollars is two million. Most folks in the Sunday assembly know that, in the end, Qoheleth is right. It's all vanity, all the striving and buying, stockpiling and yearning. A garage full of toys isn't happiness. But it sure sounds like happiness. If we're destined to be grass that springs up in the morning, then let it be a long morning, and let's have our time in the sun! The society around us, of course, is no help at all in forming more reasonable and durable values. This culture is established on buying and selling. It has to arouse our conspicuous consumption to survive and thrive. Maybe we have to stop calling ourselves consumers. That's not who we are; that's who sellers want us to be. The identity of a consumer is deceptive and dangerous to our souls. Resist the name. Disavow it when you hear it. Jesus has a more frank name for a consumer: greedy. Since consumption literally means feeding a hunger, a consumer is a person who lets hunger dictate every decision. This sort of greed inflates us, even as it inflates our homes and garages, our bodies and our dissatisfaction with what we already have. The more we get, the more we want. Greed inflates everything but our spirits. No matter what we purchase and possess, it's always going to be like that second piece of pie: It seemed like a good idea at the time. It tasted good in the moment. But the reality of the second piece never matches up to the idea. It just makes us sick. Related scripture links Wealth as negative influence: Eccles. 5:10-19; Amos 2:6; 3:10; 5:11-12; Mic. 2:1-3; Sir. 13:3-7; 19-23; 31:3-7 Wealth in a positive light: Prov. 3:16; 10:4; 11:16; Sir. 31:8-11 Jesus on wealth: Mark 10:17-31; 12:41-44; Matt. 19:16-20; Luke 16:13, 19-31; 18:18-30; 21:1-4 Later church teachings: 1 Tim. 6:7-10; James 1:9-11; 2:1-9; 5:1-6

Authors Alice Camille

consumer consumerism money greed Possessions

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In other words

31 Jul 2016 - Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

Someone out of the crowd said, “Teacher, order my brother to give me a fair share of the family inheritance.” He replied, “Mister, what makes you think it’s any of my business to be a judge or mediator for you?” Speaking to the people, he went on, “Take care! Protect yourself against the least bit of greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot.” Then he told them this story: “The farm of a certain rich man produced a terrific crop. He talked to himself: ‘What can I do? My barn isn’t big enough for this harvest.’ Then he said, ‘Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll gather in all my grain and goods, and I’ll say to myself, Self, you’ve done well! You’ve got it made and can now retire. Take it easy and have the time of your life!’ “Just then God showed up and said, ‘Fool! Tonight you die. And your barnful of goods—who gets it?’ That’s what happens when you fill your barn with Self and not with God” (from Luke 12).

greed Possessions

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Quotes

31 Jul 2016 - Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

Even in a time of elephantine vanity and greed, one never has to look far to see the campfires of gentle people. —Garrison Keillor We have always known that heedless self-interest was bad morals; we now know that it is bad economics. –Franklin D. Roosevelt

greed vanity

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Homily stories

08 Mar 2009 - Second Sunday of Lent, Cycle B

The Enron and WorldCom scandals spurred a new round of calls for tough legislation against corporate greed and promises from CEOs to clean up their acts and police themselves. But mass firings and major restructurings seem to be the only fixes they ever propose. Like Abraham in his offering of Isaac, companies offer grandiose sacrifices they think will be pleasing to consumers and legislators, but their efforts are actually far wide of the mark. What people want are companies they can trust. They want to know that the people with whom they work or whose services they contract or products they buy have a basic level of decency that would make lying and theiving unthinkable. What will it take to achieve this modest goal? We must start with our own daily choices—the ones that shape who we are and what we will tolerate in ourselves and others. How do we treat our clients, customers, and coworkers? Do we recognize their humanity? Do we consider how our actions are going to affect them directly or indirectly? Do we care? If not, then that’s where the problem begins. Paul tells the Romans: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Live in honesty and truth, and there’ll be no need for sweeping promises to change.

Authors Patrice J. Tuohy

Abraham Issac Trust greed scandals

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Exploring the word

14 Mar 2010 - Fourth Sunday of Lent, Cycle C

Two children, a father, and an inheritance: How many stories begin this way, and how bitterly many of them end! The love of money is the root of all evil, scripture tells us. In fact that same first letter to Timothy also insists that a lover of money can never be a bishop. Yet the world is full of money-lovers, and the church is no exception. How can it be otherwise? Money solves a lot of problems in our day-to-day lives. It pays the bills, keeps a roof over our heads and food on the table. It makes the education of our children possible and health care available. It even lends a veneer of security against unseen future woes. How could any of us be indifferent to money? But in the parable we hear today the desire for money has nothing to do with securing the future or keeping the daily wolves at bay. In the story of the two sons, the love of money is all about its empty promises. A young man wants to stuff his pockets with an old man’s resources. Which young person doesn’t? What the elder has earned by the sweat of his brow, the younger seeks to squander. The son has done nothing to merit the pleasures that money can buy, yet his father inexplicably hands him the keys to the kingdom in a big fat check. The results are exactly what you’d expect if a twentysomething hit the lottery. First comes the party with the friends, then the after-party with strangers, then the real blur sets in. All of a sudden the money is gone, and God only knows in whose company he awakens, if any. What started out with a bang ends in a fearful whimper. Somehow the limits to what money can buy didn’t seem quite so close in the imagination as they do in reality. Now what? Options narrow considerably with empty pockets: Eat with the pigs, or don’t eat at all. For a Jew, it’s eat at the trough of shame or starve altogether. What the young man doesn’t count on his father’s inexhaustible love for him. How could he not know that? Because he’s young and has little experience of the full spectrum of human love, he can’t guess that his father’s treatment of him was very special. We’re the same way, of course. God treats us with the extravagant gifts of life, the world, freedom, and possibility, and we respond to our birthright as if it’s just desserts for the fact of our existence. So when we misuse our freedom and toss off the good things for the glitter, it may not occur to us that God’s love goes much deeper than ours and is still right where we left it. But it is. On this Laetare Sunday we rejoice because the moment we return to God, the love story continues. Related scripture links Other notes on Christian freedom: John 8:31-36; Rom. 6:1-23, 8:2; 1 Cor. 3:23, 6:19-20, 10:23-33; Gal. 3:23-4:7 Free to show compassion: Matt. 18:21-35 Reason to rejoice: 1 Chron. 16:31-33; Matt. 5:12; Phil. 4:4-7 Catechism links Water of baptism: CCC 694; 1214-1215; 1227-1228; 1253-1255; 1262; 1265 Story of the brothers: CCC 545; 589; 1439; 1700; 2795

Authors Alice Camille

prodigal son greed money inheritance

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Homily stories

14 Mar 2010 - Fourth Sunday of Lent, Cycle C

They sat there fuming. The two junior partners on the litigation team put in 80-hour weeks for a solid year to win a multimillion dollar case for the firm. They missed anniversaries, birthdays, and vacations with their families. Throughout, they kept saying, “Well, at least the money will be good.” But when the year-end partner disbursements were handed down, the two were sorely disappointed. They were barely compensated for their extra time. They were amazed at the injustice, unfairness, and greed of the senior partners, but they had little recourse. Like the parable of the prodigal son, this story is filled with excess and waste, but in modern corporate America, the profligacy is rarely followed by remorse, reconciliation, and abundant good will. There is simply continued greed and excess in one corner and bitter resentment in the other. Often those who receive a slap in the face from their employers use it as an opportunity to knock some sense into themselves: What was I doing working all those hours? Just how much money is enough? Who’s in charge of my life—me or my company? In the case of those two disappointed litigators, they moved to a smaller firm known for its family friendly hours and fair partner practices. The hope expressed in today’s gospel is that such changes for the better are lasting.

Authors Patrice J. Tuohy

money greed fairness

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Quote of the week

18 Dec 2016 - Preaching the News for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Cycle A

“Once capital becomes an idol and guides people’s decisions, once greed for money presides over the entire socioeconomic system, it ruins society, it condemns and enslaves men and women, it destroys human fraternity, it sets people against one another and, as we clearly see, it even puts at risk our common home.” --Pope Francis, speaking in Bolivia in 2015 to a gathering of popular movements Pope Francis: Speech at World Meeting of Popular Movements

Pope Francis greed

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Homily stories

25 Feb 2018 - Second Sunday of Lent, Cycle B

Every few years, yet another corporate scandal spurs a new round of calls for tough legislation against corporate greed and promises from CEOs to clean up their acts and police themselves. But mass firings and major restructurings seem to be the only fixes they ever propose. Like Abraham in his offering of Isaac, companies offer grandiose sacrifices they think will be pleasing to consumers and legislators, but their efforts are actually far wide of the mark. What people want are companies they can trust. They want to know that the people with whom they work or whose services they contract or products they buy have a basic level of decency that would make lying and theiving unthinkable. What will it take to achieve this modest goal? We must start with our own daily choices—the ones that shape who we are and what we will tolerate in ourselves and others. How do we treat our clients, customers, and coworkers? Do we recognize their humanity? Do we consider how our actions are going to affect them directly or indirectly? Do we care? If not, then that’s where the problem begins. Paul tells the Romans: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Live in honesty and truth, and there’ll be no need for sweeping promises to change.

Authors Patrice J. Tuohy

corporate greed Abraham sacrifice offering Honesty

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Exploring the word

04 Aug 2019 - Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

Just this morning, I was talking to Qoheleth on the phone. He’s the landlord of a friend of mine who has fallen behind in her rent. Qoheleth’s not a bad guy, when it comes down to it—actually has a sense of humor and is quite pleasant. But like any businessman, he just wants to be paid. He supplies the property, and my friend should come up with the rent or be evicted. It’s only fair. I agree with Qoheleth right down the line, point for point. The contract between landlord and tenant is as clear as it is ancient. But in my friend’s case, the situation is a bit murkier. She’s unemployed at the moment and a chronic victim in her choice of boyfriends. The last fellow treated her badly, ran up her bills, and then skipped town. My friend has been looking for work but the economy is bad. And when your education is limited, it’s just that much harder to get hired. Qoheleth doesn’t want to hear excuses—he wants his money. And he tells me candidly that he’s like a farmer: When the animals stop producing, he slaughters them. That’s not harsh, it’s just good sense. I suggest gently that it’s a little more complicated when you’re dealing with human beings. He gets defensive, tells me he’s earned his Rolls Royce and never asked for a free ride from anyone. Why shouldn’t these people do the same? Vanity of vanities Qoheleth’s case is legally and morally airtight. But what profit comes to a man who operates from a worldview in which the properties he owns and the people who live in them have become indistinguishable? The biblical Qoheleth replies that one learns in the end what a vain pursuit the dollar is. In the end, all you can do with your largess is leave it to someone else—someone who undoubtedly hasn’t earned his Rolls Royce. Our psalmist today warns us not to harden our hearts when the voice of the Lord speaks. We recognize the voice of God when the message is compassion. Yet sadly, all too often the voice of religion has spoken in place of God, and its message was far from compassionate. We now expect to hear God in terms of judgment: God helps those who help themselves! Trouble is, people like my unemployed friend can’t help themselves without a little intervention now and then. They weren’t taught the life skills that folks like Qoheleth and myself take for granted. And the situation of the socially disadvantaged is fatally interlaced with the mindset of profitability, which regards people as interchangeable and expendable—which is to say, people are no different than things. Employers who exploit workers for their talent and then let them go when the margin of profit grows lean are no better than chronic lovers who are always moving on to the next promising affair. There will always be more tenants, more employees, more lonely souls at the end of the lunch counter. But all of this, too, is vanity and a denial of the unique worth of human beings. Building bigger barns The demon at the bottom of this well is the spirit of greed. We have a lot of other names for this capital sin that dress it up and make it sound more proper, like “ambition.” We also have names for those who are its victims: “losers” and “bums.” In a system that rewards greed and punishes the faltering, some end up building bigger barns while others are standing under the eaves hoping to get out of the rain. What’s worse is that this system assumes the mantle of moral righteousness. Good people pay their bills, and bad people are known by their delinquencies. Blessing theology is prevalent today. Wealth and prosperity are bestowed by God on the just as rewards for faithful service. So if you want to know the good guys from the bad guys, just ask to see their bank statements. Someone once asked me if it were true that Catholics can’t succeed because they’re not allowed to be rich. The answer is, yes, of course Catholics can succeed—they just can’t succeed for themselves. The church teaches us to assume a preferential option for the poor. This means we cannot “eat, drink, and be merry” without regard for Lazarus at the entrance to our gated communities. The main difference between young Qoheleth and old Qoheleth is that the young man enjoyed all the advantages the world can offer and thought it was grand. Old man Qoheleth, closer to the night his life will be demanded of him, realizes that he was grandly mistaken. How close are we to making the same mistake? Applying the word Christ is all and in all Saint Paul’s advice remains contemporary: We should seek what is above and use the resources of this world for a heavenly advantage. Material comforts are objectively good—that’s why we all want them. But the wise will barter them to gain an advantage that cannot be taken from us or willed to our survivors. Christ is all, Paul says simply. Christ is the soul and center, the Alpha and Omega. There is nothing but Christ, and it stands to reason there is no one but Christ whom we encounter in our daily dealings with one another. We cannot use people as means to ends, and we dare not view the fate of a child of God as irrelevant to our own. If Christ is all, then there are no expendable people. Everybody counts. Everybody matters: Qoheleth, my unemployed friend, you, me. It was as much for the fate of Qoheleth as anyone that I pleaded my friend’s case to him. It gave him another chance to choose the way of compassion. And it was for my sake, too, that I interrupted the building of my own barn today. We’re all in Christ together. Related scripture links Blessing theology in the OT: Gen. 1:28, 5:2, 12:2-3, 26:3-4, 32:29, 39:5; Deut. 7:14; Isa. 19:24 Blessing theology in the NT: Matt. 14:19, 26:26; Luke 1:28, 42, 6:28, 24:30, 50; Rom. 12:14; 1 Cor. 10:16 Lazarus at the door: Luke 16:19-31 The Alpha and Omega: Rev. 1:8, 18, 21:6

Authors Alice Camille

qoheleth bigger barns greed

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