"There are so many wars in our world nowadays because of greed for power and wealth. We can think of the war in our own hearts,” the pope said. When “the Lord blesses a person who has wealth, he makes him an administrator of those riches for the common good and for the benefit of everybody, not just for that person.”

Vatican City (AsiaNews) – One should not accumulate treasures on earth, said Pope Francis, because they are a source of divisions and violence. Instead, “only those that have a value can be stored in ‘the handbag of Heaven’.”

The pontiff’s warnings came during the Mass he celebrated this morning in Domus Sanctae Marthae. He did so, citing the Gospel passage where Jesus said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be."

Unlike statues, wealth is not static, the pope said. “Wealth tends to grow, move and find a place in man’s life and heart.” Of course, "the root" cause of accumulation "is a desire for security." Yet, the risk of doing it only for oneself and becoming slaves is very high.

"Eventually, wealth does not give security forever. Indeed, it cuts down one’s dignity.” And since it is “within the family” that this happens, it results in “so many divided families.”

Such “ambition that destroys and corrupts is also at the root of wars. There are so many wars in our world nowadays because of greed for power and wealth. We can think of the war in our own hearts.”

Therefore, “‘Take care to guard against all greed,’ said the Lord, ‘Because greed moves forward, moves forward, moves forward . . . It is like a flight of steps, the door opens and vanity comes in.” We end up “believing ourselves to be important, believing ourselves to be powerful”. . . . “In the end (comes) pride. And from this come all the vices, all of them. They are steps but the first one is greed, the desire to accumulate wealth.””

"Accumulating is a human trait”. Likewise, “doing things and holding domain over the world is also a mission. [. . .] An everyday struggle is how to manage well the earth’s riches, so that they are directed heavenward, and become heavenly riches."

“There’s one thing that is true, when the Lord blesses a person who has wealth, he makes him an administrator of those riches for the common good and for the benefit of everybody, not just for that person.” However, “it is not easy to become an honest administrator because there is always that temptation of greed, of becoming important. Our world teaches us this and it takes us along that road. We must think about others and realise that what I own is for the benefit of others and nothing that I have now can be taken with me. But if I, as an administrator, use what the Lord gave me for the common good, this sanctifies me; it will make me a saint.”

Yet, the pope said, “We often hear many excuses from people who spend their lives accumulating wealth. For our part, we must ask ourselves every day, “Where is one’s treasure? In riches, in that administration, in that service for the common good?

“It is difficult. It is like playing with fire! So many people soothe their conscience by giving alms.” However, “what they give is what they have left over. This is not [what] an administrator [does?]. An administrator's job is to take (what is needed) for himself or herself and whatever is left over is given to others, all of it. Administering wealth means a stripping away our own interests, not believing that these riches will save us. It is fine to accumulate riches, it is fine to accumulate treasures but only those that have value, let us say, in ‘the handbag of Heaven’. That is where we should be storing them up!”

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