Money isn’t yours. That’s the short answer, and it’s harder than it sounds.
The Orthodox Church teaches that everything we have comes from God and belongs to God. We’re stewards, not owners. That distinction changes everything about how we handle our paychecks, our savings accounts, and that bonus check from the plant shutdown.
St. Basil the Great put it bluntly: “The bread in your cupboard belongs to the hungry man; the coat hanging in your closet belongs to the man who needs it.” Not “could belong” or “should be shared.” Belongs. The Church Fathers didn’t soften this. St. John Chrysostom, one of our greatest teachers from Antioch, said that keeping wealth to ourselves when others are in need isn’t just stinginess. It’s theft.
This hits different when you’re making good money. Southeast Texas has plenty of folks pulling six figures in the refineries and offshore. That’s not a sin. But it’s a test.
Wealth as Spiritual Danger
The Fathers saw wealth as spiritually dangerous, not because money itself is evil but because of what it does to us. St. Cyprian wrote that the wealthy think they own their possessions, but really their possessions own them. You’ve seen this. The guy who can’t retire because he’s afraid of losing his lifestyle. The family that can’t downsize because they’re enslaved to the mortgage on a house they don’t need.
Orthodoxy doesn’t preach a prosperity gospel. God doesn’t promise you a bigger truck if you tithe correctly. In fact, the Fathers taught the opposite: wealth makes salvation harder, not easier. It tempts us toward self-sufficiency, the delusion that we don’t need God or anyone else.
Christ identified himself with the poor. When we ignore someone in need, we’re ignoring him. St. Ambrose said we’re not making a gift when we help the poor, we’re handing over what already belongs to them.
What This Looks Like Practically
So what do you do if you’re Orthodox and making decent money?
First, you give. Almsgiving isn’t optional in Orthodox life. It’s how we fight the passion of greed and remember that everything is gift. The Church has always taught that we should give generously, regularly, and without calculating exactly how much is “enough.” Some Fathers even said we should share everything beyond what we actually need.
That’s convicting when you look at your Amazon order history.
Second, you live simply. St. John Chrysostom told the wealthy of his day that God didn’t give them money “to waste on prostitutes, drink, fancy food, expensive clothes, and all the other kinds of indolence, but for you to distribute to those in need.” Swap out “prostitutes” for boat payments and you get the idea. Luxury isn’t neutral. It’s waste when people are hungry.
Third, you see the poor as icons of Christ. Not as problems to solve or statistics to pity, but as people who bear God’s image and through whom Christ meets us. The beggar at the intersection isn’t an inconvenience. He’s an opportunity.
This doesn’t mean you’re supposed to feel guilty for having a job or owning a home. It means you hold everything loosely, with open hands. Can you lose it without losing yourself? That’s the question.
Why This Matters Now
We live in a culture that worships wealth. The megachurches around here preach that God wants you blessed and prosperous. Orthodoxy says something different: God wants you free. Free from the anxiety of protecting what you have. Free from the delusion that security comes from your 401k. Free to give without calculating the return.
The early Christians shared everything they had. They didn’t do this because they were naive about economics. They did it because they believed the resurrection was real and the kingdom of God was breaking into the world. That changes your budget.
If you’re coming from a Protestant background, this might sound like works righteousness. It’s not. We don’t give to earn salvation. We give because we’re being saved, and generosity is part of how God heals our sick souls. Greed is a disease. Almsgiving is medicine.
Start somewhere. Pick a percentage of your income and give it away, to your parish, to the poor, to someone who needs help with rent. Let it be enough that you feel it. Then watch what God does in your heart when you stop clutching so tight.
