The COVID -19 pandemic has raised many fears around the world, including financial insecurity. The Bible can bring some answers.The Gospel could be a great disappointment for anyone trying to read it like an advertising pamphlet. Jesus doesn’t promise us a life of good health and opulence, exempt of hard work. The care our Father provides for our physical lives is obviously very real — and He is the only one to actually know what we really need. But the troubles the Lord wants to spare us the most are those caused by greed. Jesus rids us of two kinds of fear that prevent Him from operating in our hearts.
Jesus calls us to worry about other things
First, because of Original Sin, we were born with a natural fear that God won’t take care of us. The hardships we have experienced only feed into it. So, what are we to do? Only love can destroy this mistrust. If you’ve ever seen the movie Titanic, the disaster does not prevent Rose from having hope. In the ocean of materialistic gloom, Jesus can restore us to serenity, pouring love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.
The second fear Jesus saves us from is our attachment to material goods, a form of greed that needlessly provokes fear. The austerity that life sometimes imposes on us can be a source of great joy! In the face of money troubles, Jesus says something else: “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matt.6:33). If we follow this order of things, God gives us plenty, especially Himself.
Father Paul-Marie Cathelinais
Read more:
3 Steps to figuring out our faith and finances
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8 Things you can do to keep money from being a problem
