Repeatedly in the history of the Church, Christians have been tempted to devalue the richness of creation and therefore to devalue also the arts, as if it would be somehow more “spiritual” to live a life devoid of beauty, of good things, of music, of literature, of painting, of color, etc. It is as if bare simplicity, barrenness, and even ugliness were somehow considered to be more pleasing to God. Behind this idea is the conviction that it is only what is “spiritual” that matters, and that the physical, therefore, is only of secondary value at best. In this view, the arts are thought of as an optional, rather extravagant, and unnecessary extra in life. But this belief is nonsense, and is, according to Paul, a heresy of the most serious kind, for in the end it is a denial of the goodness of creation.

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Paul also in Ephesians 4:28,

Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

I’m coming to realize that making “just enough” money for yourself and/or your family is often a guise for selfishness and is little or no better than making lots of money and hoarding it. We think that because “I’m not making as much money as that guy who owns that SUV and a boat and a bigger house” that this somehow makes us more spiritual, content, and loving than he is. The amount of money you make is no necessary barometer of your spiritual state.