Did you ever notice how rich people do not get good press in the Bible?
Let me first state that God is no respecter of persons. The Law of Moses is clear that the burden of the Law is equally shared among the rich and the poor, no favouritism is to be shown to the poor,[1] and likewise in St. James' Epistle none is to be shown to the rich either.[2] The equality halts there, however.
Much of the print in the Holy Scriptures regarding the rich point out the distinct spiritual disadvantages that the materially advantaged suffer. A major issue is that of greed. The poor can be greedy too, but often have no means to succumb to it, but greed and avarice are a particular temptation and trap for those who do have means to accumulate more.
Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Gospel selection for Mass today[3] is accosted by someone wanting Him to make an inheritance ruling. Our Lord may or may not have rolled His eyes but was emphatic that this was NOT what He had come to earth to handle and that the desire for possessions was a big danger. "Be on guard against any kind of greed," He enjoined his followers, then He tells a parable of how fleeting wealth is and how plans for accumulating further wealth can be undone in a moment. Jesus points out in the parable that though the main character had accumulated a lot of wealth and was set to reap a lot more, he never got to enjoy any of it. Also, because he was so focused on gathering it, he neglected building spiritual capital with God, and when he suddenly died, he had absolutely nothing...for eternity.
St. Paul likened greed to fornication, impurity, evil desire, passion (that is, off-the-cuff unreasoned instinctual behaviour), anger, wrath, slander, and abusive language. He called them all idolatry, that is, placing things and self and emotion and willful self-gratification as the highest priority, rather than God and the good things for which God created us.[4] The problem again is the greedy in pursuing wealth (or anyone else pursuing something fleeting and transitory) fail in building relationships: relationships with God and with our fellow humans, made in God's image.
Our lives here are short. Both Christian and non-Christian thought agree on that. Does it not say something, however, when even some non-Christian philosophies often agree with the Church that attachment to possessions and greedy behaviour are bad? The fact remains that we "possess" things for only a short while, likely not even the entirety of our lives, and things, like us, pass away. For Christians, however, our life on earth is only a short and insignificant piece of the eternity that makes up the rest of existence, an eternity Our Lord won for human kind by dying on the Cross and rising from the Grave, and the things we gather will not be a part of that existence. For Christians, the more important thing is seeking God's Kingdom, and His righteousness, loving God and loving those around us.
Our society is toxic to building a life in God. Our challenge is not to be sucked into it, to free ourselves from its shackles, to accumulate what is important, that is, the fruits of the Spirit and not the dreck of our lives here. As we work for our ongoing maintenance here and now, we should also be doing it for the betterment of those around us. We should not be trying to become the next billionaire or celebrity but we should be cultivating the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control.[5] This is not to say not to practice good stewardship of what God has allowed us to gather, but to note its proper place, and that proper place does not allow f0r greed, because the good and generous have no room in their lives for it.
[1] Lev. 19.15
[2] Jas. 2.2-3
[5] Gal. 5.22-23.