Being financially uncomfortable can bring spiritual benefits

We are so blessed to live in a prosperous country.  Many of us don’t worry about our next meal or how we are going to pay the power bill.  This physical plentifulness, however, also presents a real spiritual danger for us.  Being in a land of plenty can lead us to spiritual laziness.  
It may be a spiritual danger for us to not ever be hungry.  Perhaps being hungry can help us be awakened to the needs of the poor.  By experiencing hunger, we become more capable of being empathetic.  Maybe this is why we are asked to fast on certain days.
It may be dangerous to have no unmet needs, maybe it’s good to strive and work.  By working, we learn the struggle of many people who do manual labor every day and we can gain a greater appreciation for those professions.
It may be spiritually beneficial to put another’s needs ahead of our own.  When doing so, it reminds us that all of our brothers and sisters are equal in dignity.  In our culture that has so much, we can fall into a consumeristic mindset and take advantage of our fellow man.  I am reminded of a thought from something I read from Pope St. John Paul II.  He said that hate is not the opposite of love; rather, John Paul II said that using another person is the opposite of love.
Having plenty and being comfortable is nice, but let’s not lose sight of the danger that comes with comfort.  As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, let’s look for ways to be uncomfortable.  We might just learn a lesson about how to better follow Jesus.
I pray that you have a wonderful Christmas and perhaps a little bit of discomfort.
— Pat Arensberg is the Director of the Office for Evangelization and Family Life. Email him at [email protected].
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