814. Why has God bestowed wealth and power on some and poverty on others?
“In order to test everyone differently. Moreover, as you know, such trials are chosen by the spirits themselves, and they often fail at them.”
815. Which of the two trials is more dangerous to humans: poverty or wealth?
“They are equally so. Poverty provokes complaining against Providence, whereas wealth leads to all kinds of excesses.”
816. If the wealthy endure more temptations, don’t they also have the means at their disposal for doing more good?
“That is precisely what they do not always do. They become selfish, proud and insatiable. Their wants increase with their fortune, and they never think they have enough.”
An elevated position in the world and authority over our fellow beings are trials as great and risky as misfortune, for the wealthier and more powerful we are, the more obligations we must fulfill, and the greater are the means at our disposal to do good and evil. God tests the poor through resignation and the wealthy through the use they make of their wealth and power.
Wealth and power awaken all the passions that attach us to matter, and they keep us from spiritual perfection. That is why Jesus said, “Verily I say to you that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven.” (See no. 266)
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