"Money exists and not everybody has it, so that those of us who have it might develop virtue..."

St Barnabas Orthodox Orphanage & School

 

Cost of Air and Water
We do not need to buy air, water, fire, sunshine and things of this kind. God has given enough of all these blessings for everyone to enjoy them freely. The sun shines equally on the rich and the poor, and they both breathe the same air. Why is it, then, that these necessary things, which sustain life, are created by God for common use, while money is not common? The reason is twofold: to safeguard life and to open the path to virtue. On the one hand if... the necessities of life were not common, the rich, with their usual greediness, would take them away from the poor. In fact, since they keep all money for themselves, they would certainly do the same with these necessities. On the other hand if money were common and available to all, there would be no opportunity for generosity on the part of the rich and gratitude on the part of the poor. (St John Chrysostom)

There’s a lot to unpack in that quotation, but I’m just going to focus on one critical piece: Money exists and not everybody has it, so that those of us who have it might develop virtue.
By Abbah JM Kariuki Director orthodoxmissionkenya.org

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