Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Catholic
Relationships and Religion
What Is the Church’s True Teaching About Money?

What Is the Church’s True Teaching About Money?

Last updated on: March 20, 2024 at 8:24 am by Jocelyn Soriano

What Is the Church’s True Teaching About Money? 2024-03-08T10:25:24+08:00 Jocelyn Soriano

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Church and money

Image from Canva Pro

What Does The Catholic Church Believe About Money?

Does the Church teach that money is bad and is the root of all evils? Why then is the Church so concerned about raising funds and asking donations from people? What is the Church’s real stance about money and worldly riches?

Money as the Root of All Evils

Following are some of the Bible verses that stand out when it comes to the point of view that money is evil in itself:

“For the love of money is the root of all evils, and some people in their desire for it have strayed from the faith and have pierced themselves with many pains.” – 1 Timothy 6:10 (NABRE)

“No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” – Matthew 6:24 (NABRE)

“Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” – Mark 10:24 (NRSVCE)

Whenever we hear these words being preached, our perception that money is bad and is not compatible with the spiritual life is reinforced.

As a result, we may feel guilty being rich. We may also feel that there is no point in trying to earn more since money can eventually lead to our ruin. Whoever wants to be condemned that one has worshiped money rather than God?

With these things in mind, we form a perception that money is something evil, a temptation that we must avoid at all costs.

Meeting Our Needs and Helping the Church

The conflict arises when we consider our day to day needs as well as the needs of the Church.

If we don’t have money, we can’t feed our family. We can’t give our children a good education. We can also fail to support the Church’s many needs.

How many people do we see around us that need our financial help? We see beggars in the streets without anything to eat or wear. We see so many people who are sick without having enough money for their medical needs. We see people cramped in poor dwellings, unable to afford a better place for their family.

If money is bad, then why is it needed so we can provide our neighbors with so much good?

Even the Church has an unending need for money. We see donation boxes everywhere, multiple collections for various needs and even fund raising events to finance its many programs. Without money, can the Church even maintain its facilities? How many Church buildings have been turned into pubs because they could no longer be maintained?

The Real Trap of Riches

We should realize that the substance of the Church’s teaching is not that money is bad. What’s bad is the love of money and the greed that ensnares those who strive for it as their foremost goal in life.

“Those who want to be rich are falling into temptation and into a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge them into ruin and destruction.” 1 Timothy 6:9 (NABRE)

“Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” – Luke 12:15 (NRSVCE)

Our priority should always be God’s kingdom, not earthly riches. But that doesn’t mean we should never use money to do something good.

In truth, we should use our time and effort to make the most of the resources we have. We are not told to be lazy but to be diligent so that we can make a decent living for ourselves and for our loved ones.

“…whoever does not provide for relatives, and especially for family members, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” – 1 Timothy 5:8 (NRSVCE)

“A slack hand causes poverty,
but the hand of the diligent makes rich.
A child who gathers in summer is prudent,
but a child who sleeps in harvest brings shame.”
– Proverbs 10:4-5 (NRSVCE)

Final Thoughts on Money and Riches

We should never come to the point of being too focused on earning money that we forget about the things of God. Money should never be worshiped. It should not be allowed to fill our souls with greed.

On the other hand, we must not disregard money as though it isn’t needed in our earthly life. We should earn it honestly, work for it diligently and use it responsibly, always keeping in mind the needs of the Church and our neighbors.

“…give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the food that I need,
or I shall be full, and deny you,
and say, “Who is the Lord?”
or I shall be poor, and steal,
and profane the name of my God.”
– Proverbs 30:8-9 (NRSVCE)

Jocelyn Soriano writes about relationships and the Catholic faith at “Single Catholic Writer”. She wrote the books To Love an Invisible God, Defending My Catholic Faith and Questions to God.

Get the book from Amazon.

Get my books from other digital stores.

You may also want to read “Why It Makes Sense To Give Until It Hurts”.

General Christian

Business, Finance and Religion

About Jocelyn Soriano

Jocelyn Soriano is an author, poet, and book reviewer. She is an introvert who enjoys a cup of coffee and listening to the cello ****** while working.

She wrote the books To Love an Invisible God, Defending My Catholic Faith and Mend My Broken Heart. She also wrote books on poetry including Poems of Love and Letting Go and Of Waves and Butterflies: Poems on Grief. She has published more than 15 books and developed her own Android applications including God’s Promises and Catholic Answers and Apologetics.

She writes about relationships and common questions about God and the Catholic faith at Single Catholic Writer. She is currently single and happy and she would like everyone to know how happy we can be by drawing close to the love of God!

Previous Post

March 13, 2024

Can Underground Bunkers Survive the Apocalypse?

Next Post

March 27, 2024 5 Tips When Preaching the Good News

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Christmas Church Issue Divine Mercy End Times Grief Healing Heaven Joy Miracles Movie Review Movies New Age Prayer Questions to God Relationships Single Life Spiritual Growth Technology Virgin Mary Wealth Management

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who saw a burning bush that was not consumed?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Moses Jacob Isaiah Abraham

Books by This Author Books by Beloved

See All Titles »