Untitled - Saints' Books

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346 Material for Instructions. [PART H.
offered the holy sacrifice They, as St. Augustine !
says,
belong to that class of men who do not seek for money
in order to serve God; but serve God in order to accu
mulate riches. What 1
a disgrace, exclaims St. Jerome,
2
to see a priest intent on the acquisition of wealth !
But let us pass by the disgrace, and examine the great
danger of perdition, to which a priest intent on heaping
up riches exposes his soul. Those priests are greatly
in peril," says St. Hilary, are anxious to amass
riches and increase their fortune." 5 This the Apostle
has taught, saying that such persons shall not only be
molested by many cares which impede their spiriual
progress, but shall also fall into temptations and desires
which will lead them to ruin. They that will become rich,
and into many unprofitable and
fall into temptations, . . .
hurtful desires, which draw men into destruction and perdi
tion? And into what excesses, thefts, injustice, simony,
and sacrileges has the desire of
tain priests
!
money precipitated cer
St. Ambrose says: He who amasses gold
loses the grace of God." 5 St. Paul assimilates avarice
to idolatry: A covetous person (which is a serving of idols)
And justly, for the covetous man makes money his God,
that is, his last end.
Extirpate the thirst for gold," says St. John Chrysostom,
"and you will extirpate all crimes." If, then, we
wish to possess God, let us remove all attachment to the
" 1
Non nummum propter Deum impendunt, sed Deum propter
nummum colunt." De Civ. D. \. n, c. 25.
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3 "
et in
Ignominia Sacerdotis est studere divitiis."
Ep. ad Nepot.
Ingenti periculo sunt Sacerdotes qui curis pecuniae, et familiarium
rerum incrementis, occupantur."
In Ps. 138.
4 "Qui fieri, incidunt in tentationem, laqueum
diaboli, et desideria multa inutilia et nociva, quse mergunt homines in
interitum et perditionem."
i Tim. vi. 9.
6 "
Qui aurum redigit, gratiam prodigit." Serin. 59.
6 "Avarus, quod est idolorum servitus." Ephes. v. 5.
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7
Tolle pecuniarum studium, et omnia mala sublata sum ". /. :
Tim. horn. 17.