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Father Len helps listener Sarah grapple with her relationship with her money and how much of it to give to charity.
Highlights, Ideas, and Wisdom
- Father Len introduces the biblical concept of “poor in spirit” from the Gospel of Matthew 5:3.
- “Poor in spirit” doesn’t mean that you’re actually poor. It does mean money has no control over you and it’s not your primary source of joy and self-worth.
- Father Len shares the story of an elderly couple with a net worth of $50 million to illustrate the effect of being “poor in spirit.”
- Father Len describes the relationship Warren Buffet and Bill and Melinda Gates have with their money and their charitable giving to help listener Sarah grapple with how much she should give to charity.
- Father Len explains why he loves the image he saw as a kid of a tiny box containing all of Mahatma Gandhi’s material possessions when he died.
- It’s irresponsible not to save money for retirement. Otherwise, you can become a burden to other people. Morally, you don’t have that right.
- Assessing your real relationship with money is about honestly recognizing why you do what you do with it.
- There isn’t a mathematical formula for how much money to give to charity. It’s living a life of “poverty in spirit.” It’s balancing the responsibilities we have of taking care of ourselves and making the world a better place.