Archbishop Alfred Hughes on the Gospel of Prosperity

God’s will and human possessions

"In the human effort to respond to this teaching, there is always going to be a tension between greed and generosity. Greed is one of the fundamental ways in which our fallen human nature disorients us. It leads to a desire to amass earthly goods. This can take the form of personal avarice for riches or power. It can also take the social expression of injustice by harming others in order to amass wealth.

On the other hand, generosity leads us to largeness of heart. The widow in Serephta in the time of Elijah who was willing to share her limited flour for food and ended up being able to live more than a year with her son is an example of generosity of heart. The Lord Jesus also drew the attention of his disciples to the widow who placed a small mite in the Temple basket but, in doing so, gave all that she had to live on. In my own experience growing up in a post-Depression period, I marvel now at the sacrificial and generous way in which my parents provided despite the extraordinarily limited income on which we were living.

The experience of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath has presented us with an opportunity to re-look at the way in which we have amassed possessions. We have lost homes, possessions, jobs and a way of life. The Gospel calls us to place God first and to allow everything else to fall into its proper perspective. We have a responsibility to evaluate our approach to possessions and finances in light of the Gospel."