6. Throw out or give away what you don´t need.
Objects that we own but which we don´t use, over the course of time, begin in a curious way to take possession of us until one day we wake up tied down like Gulliver in the land of the Lilliputians. Having a relatively few possessions is a fine way to live social justice, as one can readily give them away or sell them and thus convert them into money that can be given to the needy. If you haven´t used something in the last year, you probably don´t need it. Make things last. Remember that attachments to the material things in the world will have eventually to be burnt away in Purgatory if we are to enter into heaven; it is better to gain detachment now rather than later.
7. Live order and neatness in the care of material items.
Happily, increasingly many objects of personal and family use, from cars to shavers, are better made and last longer without repairs. We should take as good care of them as would Jeeves if he were working full time for us.
8. Avoid impulse buying, whims, and caprices.
Much of our market economy is based on efforts to entice us to buy superfluous things, or to buy too much of truly useful things (Super-Size it!), and the marketing moguls are very good at their work. Look at your closet, clothes drawers, basement, or garage to see the results of impulse shopping. Or for that matter just look at the weight registered on your bathroom scale. Consult with your spouse before making purchases. Review carefully at the end of each month where your money has gone, through a careful examination of your bank and credit card statements. Ask yourself what good you could have done with the money if you had not spent it on yourself.
9. Avoid occasions of sin, remote or proximate, in respect to buying and shopping-whether in shopping malls, via catalogues, or on the Internet.
For some people the temptation comes in computer stores; for others it may be bookshops or golf equipment shops, and for still others virtually any store is enough to make them feel almost powerless, with the credit card seemingly jumping out of the wallet or purse. Stay away from your particular source of temptation toward conspicuous consumption. The Internet may be the most insidious form of “concupiscence of the eyes,” and it is a mistake to think that the pornographic sites are the only temptations. A few clicks and your “shopping basket” can be filled to overflowing. Don´t create needs for yourself. He has most who needs least. Could you do without?
10. Make time for at least one corporal work of mercy each week, alone or with friends or family.
“Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do unto me.” This understanding is essential. You and your family may pass weeks or months without being exposed to the real misery of the human condition in our antiseptic society. Paradoxically, in the world´s most prosperous country, there are more lonely, aged, addicted, imprisoned, exploited, ravaged, and homeless people than in most of the world´s impoverished countries. These unhappy Americans don´t really need more checks or more government programs. They need your company and your love.
11. Follow the Way of the Cross and meditate often on our Lord´s passion, death, and resurrection.
It is there that you will find what counts. All the rest is dross. Measure everything by that standard. Zacchaeus, the rich man, had to climb up a tree in order to see Jesus clearly. The tree you have get up on is the Cross. The Holy Father tries to make the Way of the Cross, at least briefly, each day. Can you excuse yourself, then, on the grounds that you don´t have time?
12. Make poverty, detachment, and generosity a regular topic in your sacramental confession and spiritual direction.
Let your spiritual advisor be demanding of you in this regard. In order to have Christ fill us up through the sacraments, prayer, and Sacred Scripture, we have continually to be emptying ourselves out in every sense, not only internally but also externally. At the moment of our particular judgment, we will not be “naked to our enemies,” but transparent to our friend. We need to be completely stripped of anything that is not Christ, so we can receive the reward that awaits us.
Overcoming the culture of death
Naturally, all of the steps in this program apply to us all. But the rich, powerful, and influential have a special responsibility to try to struggle with these particular challenges, since they run a greater risk of the loss of their souls, in light of the gifts that have been bestowed upon them for God´s glory and service to others.
Rodney Stark, in his insightful book The Rise of Christianity, points out that-contrary to conventional wisdom and historical analysis-in the first several centuries of Christianity, the Gospel was most successfully preached not to the poor and the outcasts, but rather to the prosperous middle classes and educated upper classes in the cities. As early as the 2nd century there were society matrons and members of the Emperor´s household and high officers of the Roman army who had become Christians. If the vision of John Paul II is to come to pass in this new century, bringing a “new springtime of the Church,” which over time can help to create a “civilization of love and truth” in our society, then the elite must become not only devout and apostolic but also “poor in spirit.”
If you are rich, how should you pursue that end? I have offered some ideas, but you have to answer the question for yourself in the intimacy of your prayer and spiritual direction. However I would make one more suggestion: Seek the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe, “the Star of the New Evangelization.” Maybe she can explain why it is that our consumerist, individualistic, and hedonistic society in North America produces so many unhappy, lonely, violent, and neurotic people, while south of the border in Mexico so many people-poor by our standards-are so happy. She appeared to a humble Indian, not to a rich man. We can ask her intercession to find our happiness in the Cross and Resurrection of her Son, and not in acquisition.
Father C.J. McCloskey III is a priest of the Prelature of Opus Dei, and director of the Catholic Information Center in Washington, DC.