Storing Wealth

Nolite thesaurizare vobis thesauros in terra, ubi aerugo et tinea domilitur, et ubi fures effodiunt et furantur. Sed thesaurizate vobis thesauros in caelo, ubi neque aerugo, neque tinea demolitur, et ubi fures non effodiunt, nec furantur. Quid tam paternum? Quid sic veniens de amore? Quod tam providum de charitate consilium? Nihil tibi perire vult, qui tua in thesauris coelestibus vult reponi. Quam securus dormit, qui Deum suorum meruit habere custodem. Quam nescit curas, quam deponit angores, quam non est anxius, quam servorum caret fastu, qui sua patri servanda committit. Quomodo paterna servat affectio, quod timor non potest sic servare servilis: pater cum dat sua filiiis, non minuit commendata filiorum. Quid sit pater, nescit; nescit se filium, qui non credit patri. Tineam non excludunt claustra, sed claudunt, et generant, non repellunt: rubiginem nutriunt servata, non vitant; quia quod de re nascitur, non vitatur. Ubi est necessitas, fures deesse non possunt. Qui ergo inter tineas, rubiginem, fures, sua ponit, exponit quae sua sunt, non reponit. Sicut de vestimento tinea, rubigo de metallo, de necessitate fures nascuntur: ita de divitiis avaritia, cupiditas de quaestu, de habendo habendi ardor acquiritur. Qui ergo vult avaritiam vincere, divitias proroget, non reponat. Praemittamus, fratres, thesauros nostros in coelum; sint vectores pauperes, qui possunt suni suo quae nostra sunt ad superna portare. Nemo de fraude dubitet bajulorum: tua est ista transvectio. Sanctus Petrus Chrysologus, Sermo VII, De Hypocrisi et Eleemosyna Source: Migne PL 52. 207b-208a

Do not heap up for yourselves treasure on earth, where rust and moth destroy and thieves break in and steal. But heap up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where neither rust nor moth destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal.1 Why so paternal? Why so loving? Why such provident counsel born of care? He who wishes that nothing of yours should perish, wishes that you place your goods in the celestial treasure house. How secure it will be then, when it merits that God watch over it. How free from care he will be who rids himself of anxiety, who is not worried, who is spared the disloyalty of guards, who has committed protection to his Father. How much paternal affection protects that which servile fear is not able to guard. When the Father gives what is his to his sons, he does not lessen the worth of what sons have entrusted. He does not know what the Father is, he does not know that he is a son, who does not trust the Father. Locked doors do not exclude moths, but they shut them up and nurture them, they do not repel them. Things preserved generate rust, they do not ward if off, because what is born from these things is what they do not repel. Where there is need, there is no lack of thieves. Therefore he who places himself among moths and rust and thieves, he exposes what is his, he does not store it away. As moths from clothing, as rust from metal, from need thieves are born, thus it is with avarice from wealth, desire from profit; from possessions the passion of possession is acquired. Therefore he who wishes to conquer avarice, let him keep himself from riches, not heap them up. Brothers, let us send our treasure chests ahead of us to heaven. The poor are the transports who in their lap can carry what is ours to the heavens. Let no one have any hesitations about the qualifications of these porters. Safe this is, safe this transportation by which our goods are carried to God, with God as guarantor. Saint Peter Chrysologus, from Sermon 7, On Hypocrisy And Alms 1 Mt 6.19-20