So far as the life of the soul with God is concerned, money in itself is so unimportant as to be irrelevant: indeed, it is a potential menace, because to set one’s heart on it and allow it to shape one’s conduct is destructive of any relationship with him: “You cannot serve God and wealth” (NRSV, Luke 16: 13, our emphasis).  Like fire, money is a good servant but a bad master.

You will notice that Our Lord tells us to use this world’s goods wisely and for the benefit of others so that we may be welcomed into “eternal homes”.  Such a motive – to give to charity and good causes with a view to saving one’s own soul – may seem unpleasantly selfish.  On the contrary, properly understood it is truly Christian.

The first duty of Christians is to love God and to love their neighbour and thereby save their own soul.  And money often happens to provide an opportunity to express that two-fold love by exercising the Christian virtues of compassion and generosity.  As St John puts it, “How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?” (NRSV, 1 John 3: 17, our emphasis), words which form an apt commentary on Our Lord’s parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus.