A Response to a Question About Greed in Generous Situations
The following is my response to Linda’s comment that she posted on my blog. Here is her comment.
A topic I would like your opinion on is that of greed. Although I know what I think greed is, maybe I’m just judging people which I know is wrong!
At our parish we have a free clothes closet, frequent rummage sales which are by donation only, a blessing box and an active Christmas program with free gifts for children to choose and share with family members.
I find it very “annoying” when a person comes and takes large amounts. For example, people will come and literally take all the food in the blessings box instead of a few items. Another example is parents pushing the child to take up to 11 gifts for a sibling instead of one. Is this greed or need and am I judging or just reacting?
As volunteers we have discussed this but have no real solutions.
I am glad to hear that your parish has ministries to help the poor. Jesus calls us to Corporal Works of Mercy in Matthew 25:31-46.
It is natural for us to want to see our corporal works of mercy to be put to good use and to help the greatest number of people. When we see people take more than what we think is reasonable, we might be “annoyed” because we think they don’t really need that much.
Of course, the first thing I’m going to say, and Linda knows this because she asked, “am I judging,” is that it is not for us to judge. We don’t know what they need is or what their background is. Perhaps this hypothetical (but very real for some people) situation will put things into perspective. Linda said sometimes parents push a child to take up to 11 gifts for a sibling. If one has always been poor, one or two gifts can seem very generous. However, imagine a family that had been well-off financially. To them, 11 gifts might seem typical. Now, the parents have lost their jobs and can’t afford what they used to. So, they would be taking what seems normal to them. I am not saying they should take 11 gifts. I’m just suggesting another possible perspective. I pray that they would come to a new perspective of how many gifts are reasonable, but their intent is not to be greedy. They simply don’t know better. Pray for them.
I would also pray that they come to think about what they need versus what they want in general. I asked Linda what a blessing box is. She sent me this link – https://www.chsblessingbox.org/who-we-are).
I like the rule they list, “One simple rule applies – Leave what you can, take what you need.” I assume the “leave what you can” is directed to those who give items for others to take, but I wonder if it could help those who are in need of help to reflect on to remember not to take more than they need. This might be the person taking 11 gifts or it might be the person who takes more food than we think warranted.
If the person is “new” to being poor, they may be used to purchasing large amounts of groceries. This is what is normal for them. I can’t imagine that the originators of the blessing box idea ever thought it would provide all the groceries that someone would need. However, if the person is “new” to being poor, they may not know where else to go. They may not know about the food pantry down the street that is designed to give them food for a couple of days. Has anyone ever thought of putting brochures by the blessing box directing people to other places they can go for help?
Of course, I am posing hypothetical situations that provide reasons why a person/family might be justified in taking more than might seem reasonable. It is entirely possible, especially with the Christmas gift box, that they are simply being greedy.
What does it mean to be greedy? The Catholic Culture Dictionary provides the following definition of greed, “Avarice or cupidity. It implies a controlling passion for wealth or possessions and suggests not so much a strong as an inordinate desire and is commonly associated with the lust for power” (found online at https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/dictionary/index.cfm?id=33817#:~:text=Avarice%20or%20cupidity.,with%20the%20lust%20for%20power, Based on Fr. John Hardon’s Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission, my emphasis). Here I would like to distinguish between being “greedy” and “greed” as one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Paul writes to Timothy, “For the love of money is the root of all evils” (1 Timothy 6:10). When our desire for money, or in this case – gifts, becomes our “controlling passion,” we have allowed our greed to become deadly (mortal) sin. On the other hand, to be “greedy” could involve venial sin but if one simply doesn’t know better, it would not be mortal sin. It’s something to work on. It is something to pray for guidance on but it is not meant to hurt others in need.
I hope this helps put things into perspective. It is the unfortunate reality that some people do abuse the generosity of others and knowingly and willingly take more than they should. Pray for them!
If you would like more on the idea of how much we might reasonably seek for ourselves versus remembering there are others in need, please read my article, “The Right to Private Property and Loving Our Neighbor.” It helps provide an understanding of balance between the right to private property and the “universal destination of goods.” You might also check out my blog article, “Greed and Envy.”
If you have more than enough, to motivate you to give, check out my article, “What Do You Have That You Don’t Need.”
Peace,
Fr. Jeff