Любостяжание
What is Greed?
Greed is an excessive desire for wealth and possessions, which is condemned in Scripture and contrasted with generosity.
Question 26. What is avarice? Answer. Greed is an excessive desire for wealth and possessions. Scripture speaks of this sin: "Whoever hates injustice will live long" (Proverbs 28:16). And the Apostle: "Their hearts are trained in greed, children of a curse" (2 Peter 2:14). The virtue opposite to this vice is generosity, as it is said: "Generous to the poor, his righteousness endures forever" (Psalm 111:9).
Sins Born of Greed
Greed leads to numerous sins, and remembering Christ's poverty and our accountability as stewards can help us avoid it.
Question 27. What sins are born from avarice? Answer. From avarice are born the following sins: robbery, murder, treachery, deceit, sedition, violence and cruelty, lack of mercy, inhumanity, hardness of heart, envy, perfidy, oppression of the poor and other people, petty calculation, theft, and others like them. Therefore, whoever wants to avoid this sin must remember the voluntary poverty of Christ, our Lord, as He Himself says about Himself: "Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head" (Matt. 8:20). Furthermore, one must consider that he is a steward of wealth, not its master, and that on the day of judgment, he must give God an account of his management.
Read the original Russian
Вопрос 26. Что есть любостяжание?
Ответ. Любостяжание есть неумеренное желание богатства и имущества. О сем грехе Писание говорит: «ненавидяй неправды, долго лет поживет» (Притч. 28, 16). И Апостол: «сердце научено лихоимству имуще, клятвы чада» (2Пет. 2, 14). Противоположная сему пороку добродетель есть щедрость как сказано: «Расточи, даде убогим, правда его пребывает во век века» (Пс. 111, 9).
Вопрос 27. Какие грехи рождаются от любостяжания?
Ответ. От любостяжания рождаются следующие грехи: грабительство, убийство, коварство, обман, мятеж, насилие и жестокость, немилосердие, безчеловечие, огрубение сердца, зависть, вероломство, притеснение бедных и других людей, мелкая расчетливость, кража и другие подобные. Посему, кто хочет избежать сего греха, должен памятовать произвольную нищету Христа, Господа нашего, как Он Сам говорит о Себе: «лиси язвины имут, и птицы небесныя гнезда: Сын же Человеческий не имат где главы подклонити» (Мф. 8, 20). При том должен помышлять, что он есть приставник богатства, а не господин, и что в день суда должен отдать отчет Богу в своем управлении.
Orthodox Confession (Pravoslavnoe Ispovedanie) companion
Rule yourself daily, not just on retreat
Chosen Portion turns the mirror into a daily practice — a short reading and examining question each morning before you lead anyone.
Chosen Portion makes the mirror daily: the ruler-formation questions this collection preserves become a two-minute morning examination in the app.
- A daily formation reading drawn from centuries of counsel to those in authority
- One pointed examination question a day — two minutes, before the meetings start
- Track your practice over weeks and watch the examined life become a habit