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Intentions Matter

Intentions Matter

Last updated on: June 27, 2023 at 2:46 am by Henry Karlson

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Intentions Matter 2023-06-27T02:46:46-05:00 Henry Karlson

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Cintha van Heeswijck: Good Intentions / Wikimedia Commons

We are not to judge others because we rarely have the basis to make a proper judgment about them. All we know is what we see. That is, we judge by external appearances. We judge by the things they let us see. We judge by looking at and examining a few actions. Thus, if what we know of someone is one or two actions they have done, no matter how good or bad they are, we do not know enough to judge the person involved. We can, perhaps, make some basic objective judgments on particular actions, but that doesn’t give us enough to judge the character of the one who acts. We do not know why they have done what they did. That is, we do not know their intent, and intentions matter. Indeed, with bad intent, an action which is seemingly good, could be done to prevent or hinder an even greater good, even as an action which was done poorly, or led to a poor execution, could have been done in order to bring about a greater good. This is why it is important for us to know the intentions behind actions for intentions can and will shape the moral value of those actions, and therefore, the moral character of the person behind those actions.

We must understand that even if someone appears to do some great good in the world, this does not mean they are a good or holy person. They might be, but even great sinners, people who do a lot of evil, causing great pain and suffering in the world, can also do things which bring about some good in the world. We can see this in the way some of those who are unseemly rich can donate a small amount of their funds, less than 1% of what they own, to charitable causes. Since they are extremely wealthy, what they give is a substantial amount of money, and indeed, good things are done with it. Nonetheless, we should not forget what they are doing with the rest of their money, much of it which is being used to make sure they continue to make more money, and they do so in the only way possible, on the backs of those who are not so wealthy. Such a concentration of wealth takes away from the just and universal distribution of the goods of the earth, preventing those in need from attaining what they need. Though some of those who hold extreme wealth might give to the needy a little money, it is far less than what has been denied them. However charitable, then, it appears when the rich give to charity, it does not mean they are charitable. They can do far greater evil with the rest of the money than the little good they do with charity. They can give to charity, or do some little good, to look good to the public, hiding the evil which they do. If they truly cared about others, they would not use such a small amount of their resources to help them. Thus, when trying to understand how to consider the value of particular deeds, “It is not the result of the deed that must be considered but rather the disposition of the doer.” [1] The disposition of many of the rich with regards charity is not one of charity, but of a way to help maintain the system in place which allows them to keep what they have and exploit others. They are not interested in promoting the universal distribution of goods, for if they were, they would not hold so much of it to themselves. Even if they had not done much to generate the wealth, that is, if they merely inherited it, once they act to preserve it while ignoring the needs of others, they are to be understood as preserving the systematic structure of sin in the world which keeps others poor and needy. Thus, St. Jerome said:

Much truth there is, indeed, in a certain saying of a philosopher: ‘Every rich man is either wicked or the heir of wickedness.’ That is why the Lord and Savior says that it is difficult for the rich to enter into the kingdom of heaven. Someone may raise the objection: ‘How, then, did the wealthy Zacchaeus enter the kingdom of heaven?’ He gave away his wealth and replaced it at one with the riches of the heavenly kingdom. The Lord and Savior did not say that the rich will not enter the kingdom of heaven, but that they will enter with difficulty. [2]

The little good the extreme rich do with their money, in comparison to the good which they can do, should not trick us and make us think they are great philanthropists. They are not. When they help some poor person, they often are exploiting them. This is because the help is limited, and the intention is not to help the poor person but themselves. That is, they act in such a way as to make themselves look good, hoping that will justify the way they hold onto and hoard up an extreme amount of the resources of the earth. Their love of money, their love of wealth, makes money their master. They forget God and God’s expectations for them, and in this way, they surely must be seen as being unjust, as Ficino explained:

Therefore, those who are rich should be regarded as most unjust if, because of their pride, they forget God, the bountiful giver of all riches. They make themselves masters over the poor, and call themselves possessors of wealth, when it is they who are possessed by their wealth. [3]

Nonetheless, we see many rich people doing all kinds of great things with their money. The charitable contributions they make are real. Sometimes, indeed, probably more often than not, they donate money to a cause which they think has the potential to be of personal benefit, like donating to cancer research knowing that they might have to face cancer sometime in their own lives. Thus, objectively, we can see that even when the ultra-rich donate a small portion of their wealth to charity, great things can be done. Many cures for diseases have come about thanks to such donations. But this, again, does not make the rich who gave such money to charity good or holy people. While the great things they achieve, therefore, can be great, and should be recognized for the good which has been done, we should encourage those with the means to do more, to do more. If they want to be holy, they must be all-in, living their lives selflessly for the sake of others. “From this it is clearly evident that the whole of perception and blessedness consists not in the working of those wonders but in the purity of love.” [4] This is not to say we should not be thankful for what can be and has been done out of such charitable donations, but we shouldn’t turn the rich into heroes for their meager contributions. They often have a selfish motive for what they do, and through that motive, hinder the potential of the good which could have been done. “For their riches choke the word of God and soften the rigor of their virtues.” [5] We should never be satisfied with the lesser good. Instead, we should always promote the greater good, recognizing it cannot be found when some good is done with the wrong intention. And so, we should be careful when we judge others based upon what we see. We do not know what good or bad they could have done. We do not know what good or bad they desire. All we know is but a small part of the equation.

[1] John Cassian, The Conferences. Trans. Boniface Ramsey, OP (New York: Newman Press, 1997), 223 [Sixth Conference; Abba Theodore].

[2] St. Jerome, The Homilies of Saint Jerome: Volume I (1-59 On the Psalms). Trans. Marie Liguori Ewald, IHM (Washington, DC: CUA Press, 1963), 116-7 [Homily 15].

[3] Marsilio Ficino, The Letters of Marsilio Ficino. Volume 1. trans. by members of the Language Department of the School of Economic Science, London (London: Shepheard-Walwyn, 1975; repr. 1988), 119-20 [Letter 73 to Angelo Poliziano].

[4] John Cassian, The Conferences, 538 [Fifteenth Conference; Nesteros].

[5] St. Jerome, Commentary on Matthew. Trans. Thomas P. Scheck (Washington, DC: CUA Press, 2008), 155-56.

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