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Even those people who are not deeply religious have some understanding of mortal sins, but not everyone knows what the word money-seeking in prayer means, and such an addiction can not only have a detrimental effect on the person himself, but also have a negative effect and his close circle. In this article, you can familiarize yourself with the meaning of this word, the statements of clergy and how to overcome this addiction.
Mischief: what kind of sin is it?
Interpretation
The meaning of this word can be interpreted in two ways. In the first version, it goes back to the ancient Russian word “mshel”, meaning “self-interest”, in another interpretation - “thing”, “property”, and in the church context of modern language it can be translated as “greed”. Extortion and bribery are in the same category. The love of greed is classified by the Orthodox Church as a passion, and a vicious, sinful one, akin to the love of money.
The second option is more down-to-earth. It is often associated with mossy, i.e. because it was overgrown with moss and mossy. This may mean collecting (usually senseless) old, no longer needed - mossy - things , putting aside food supplies just in case (as they say, for a rainy day).
A striking example of a msheloimtsa is Gogol’s Plyushkin, who was engaged in accumulating all sorts of rubbish for the sake of this process itself.
In the “Orthodox Prayer Book”, in the prayers of the evening rule there is a confession of everyday sins, among which money-grubbing is mentioned.
Plyushkin is a good example.
In former times, prayer books were compiled for monastics, and this sin was condemned when a monk surrounded himself with beautiful or valuable things, collecting and accumulating them, although he had absolutely no need for them in everyday life. Even a layman does not need them on such a scale.
What is sin? Well, a man collects his clothes and doesn’t offend anyone! And this is sinful, from the point of view of the church, for several reasons.
- Things should be used for the purpose for which they were created, and not be exhibits in a “home museum.”
- Buying unnecessary things is already catering to your weaknesses.
- Creating a material cult is essentially creating an idol for yourself, which the Bible warns against.
To accumulate, store, cherish, collect - is this what household items are created for? They must “work”, otherwise a person will become dependent on them and, without noticing it, become stingy and greedy.
A type of the sin of bribery is bribery . What kind of sin is this? The ancient word “bribe” with a completely neutral original meaning is increasingly used with a negative connotation, speaking of corruption and bribery.
Bribery - receiving gifts, offerings for the purpose of bribery, outright bribes.
Over time, this type of money-grabbing also turns into collecting similar gifts, admiring them and boasting to friends, and often direct begging, if not extortion, for one or another object of desire.
The passion of collecting, by and large, is the same thing as msheloying. A man pays a lot of money for some “exhibit” that no one except him will see.
Msheloimstvo is materialism.
In the same way, Msheloim residents also include avid shopaholics , for whom shopping is literally the meaning and purpose of life. Such people can buy so many new clothes that they will not be able to even wear them once. And the main thing is that you can do without them.
This is a kind of idolatry. As, indeed, is the habit of old, tried and tested things (clothes, shoes).
To summarize what has been said, this sin can be defined by a completely modern word - materialism . Its meaning is extremely transparent - pathological love for things, enslavement by them. In this case, the temporary and transitory harms a person’s concern for his fate in Eternity.
Is it possible to get rid of it?
If you sincerely desire, you can get rid of any sin by repenting of it in confession. It is necessary to fight money-grabbing by developing the opposite virtues:
- unselfishness,
- caring about the benefits and gifts of the spiritual plane, and not about perishable things,
- alms,
- mercy to those in need,
- reluctance to accumulate, acquire earthly riches, i.e. acquisitions,
- indifference to wealth
- generosity.
This concerns the spiritual component. The “household” part includes the ability to part with unused things, giving them to someone who needs it.
It wouldn't hurt to carry out frequent systematic inspections of the house and the bins, where deposits of unnecessary things or products may be found.
Before you decide to make your next purchase, carefully consider whether you really need it.
A good step would be, instead of a controversial purchase, which, it is possible, will then simply be shifted from place to place, to actually help someone, perhaps in the store itself, by buying something vital for them.
I would like to cite the point of view of Hieromonk Seraphim (Kalugin), according to which the laity, ideally, can get rid of this sin by literally giving their last shirt to the needy. But since not everyone is mentally prepared for this, it is enough to share at least something that is lying on your shelf as dead weight , but someone really needs it.
Position of Orthodoxy
A person, in pursuit of profit, often forgets about justice, love for neighbors and commandments that cannot be broken. There are only seven mortal sins, but punishment can also follow for other offenses that people knowingly commit. Despite the fact that the harm from mortal transgressions causes little harm to the sinner himself, the church condemns them. What is the sin of money-grabbing in Orthodoxy? This is an offense that harms not only others, but also the one who commits it.
In some cases, molesting is a pathological problem. The passion for acquiring and accumulating new things and exchanging them is not encouraged by the clergy , as it is a consequence of greed and selfishness. Those who suffer from this illness experience the fear of losing accumulated items. They are collected, collected, hidden. People who succumb to money-grabbing will never do the following:
- they will not sell unnecessary things;
- they will not give them to relatives and friends;
- they will not even use them for their intended purpose, since this will make the item unusable.
Sinners not only independently acquire or exchange things , but also receive them in the form of bribes. After this, they order special cabinets, racks, shelves and safes for storing them, hiding them from the eyes of others. Usually there is a collection of objects for one purpose - weapons, dishes, toys, watches, stuffed animals. Over the years, all this is covered with dust, because it cannot be fully used .
The Church approves the use of each item for its intended purpose. Msheloimstvo, in turn, does not imply this. Violation of this order is equivalent to ignoring biblical commandments. Storing and collecting things that have been purchased, donated or found is hidden under the concept of mschelomy. The meaning of the word comes from the term “mshel” - moss, because unused things are covered with dust and moss.
The Church says that each thing should be acquired only out of necessity, and not to satisfy pathological sinful inclinations. One of the commandments prohibits creating idols for oneself, and by storing a thing and worshiping it, a person makes an idol out of it.
Nasty profitability
What does this sin mean? The first half of the word is quite telling: bad means something unworthy, “a bad acquisition.” So it is, profit can be obtained in an unworthy way, in a dishonest and unjust way. These include:
Cheating the buyer is a bad profit.
- body kit,
- measurement,
- deception,
- shortchange.
This also includes earnings received from, say, playing cards in a casino , i.e. based on the use of human weaknesses and passions, on their incitement or satisfaction.
Enrichment through the use of one’s authority, official position, and if this concerns the church, then even the priesthood will also be a bad acquisition.
If a person forges or uses counterfeit documents, including a travel pass, or buys stolen goods, this can also be called foul behavior.
It may seem strange, but parasitism is also part of the same tribe. Why? According to the “Orthodox Catechism,” if a person receives payment for something that he does not perform or does not perform properly and does not bring benefit, then he seems to be stealing both payment and benefit.
What is the essence of humility?
What is humility? Spiritual leaders are asked this question all the time. They, in turn, give different understandings of this definition, but the essence is the same for all. Some argue that humility consists in the fact that a person immediately forgets about the good deeds he has done. In other words, he does not take credit for the result. Others say that a humble person considers himself the worst sinner. Some say that humility is the mental recognition of one's powerlessness. But these are far from complete definitions of the concept of “humility.” More accurately, we can say that this is a grace-filled state of soul, a real gift from the Lord. Some sources speak of humility as the Divine robe in which the human soul is clothed. Humility is the mysterious power of grace. There is another definition of humility, which says that it is a joyful, but at the same time sad self-abasement of the soul before the Lord and other people. It is expressed by inner prayer and contemplation of one’s sins, complete submission to the Lord and diligent service to other people.
Humility in life gives a person joy, happiness and confidence in Divine support.
Extortion
A bribe is also extortion.
This concept implies sinful passion, which consists in obtaining one’s benefit by depriving another person, taking advantage of his difficult or hopeless life situation.
Covetous people are able to acquire benefits by using other people's labor or property, the plight of their neighbor:
- assign a high loan percentage,
- load with unnecessary official duties for the same fee,
- raise prices for a particular product.
In a broader sense, covetousness represents elementary greed, love of money, thirst for enrichment. St. Theophan the Recluse classified covetousness as a passion for getting more and more , associated with unscrupulousness when concluding trade transactions, usury, theft, and taking bribes.
To cleanse yourself of this sin and be saved, you must not only realize and stop doing it, but also return what you received through unrighteous means to the offended person, and if this is impossible for some reason, simply perform acts of mercy.
Who is not a Christian
Since the first centuries of the existence of the Church, various sects
and religious groups that deviated from the teachings of the apostles and holy fathers.
Their errors were designated as heresies
(distortions
of dogma
) and were exposed at the Ecumenical Councils. Any teaching that does not correspond to the dogmatic integrity of the universal Church, going beyond the boundaries of Holy Scripture and Tradition, is false.
Through centuries and millennia the gospel message shines, so that the seeker can find the right path, despite passing errors. This difficult road of transformation of nature and spirit is called Christianity, and those who walk along it are called Christians.
Seraphim Peresvetov.
Video: Who is a Christian and what is the Church. A. I. Osipov
Who is a Christian and what is the Church? — Osipov A.I.
Confess your sin...
You need to repent for your sins every day and do it consciously, analyzing every situation that arises. You must certainly confess them with sincere contrition in the Sacrament of Repentance in church, in order not only to repent of them, but also to receive forgiveness from the Lord.
Here is an evening prayer from the Orthodox Prayer Book, called “Confession of Everyday Sins”:
“I confess to You, Lord my God and Creator, in the One Holy Trinity, glorified and worshiped Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit, all my sins, which I have committed all the days of my life, and for every hour, and now, and in past days and nights, by deed, word, thought, gluttony, drunkenness, secret eating, idle talk, despondency, laziness, bickering, disobedience, slander, condemnation, neglect, pride, avarice, theft, unspeaking, filthiness, money-gathering, jealousy, envy,
anger, memory malice, hatred, covetousness and all my feelings: sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and my other sins, both mental and physical, in the image of my God and Creator I have angered You, and my neighbor has not been truthful; Regretting these things, I present my guilt to You, my God, and have the will to repent; “Indeed, Lord my God, help me, with tears I humbly pray to Thee: forgive me my sins by Thy mercy, and forgive me from all these things that I have said before Thee, for I am Good and Lover of Mankind.”
Donations – ruBible.com
Voluntary giving by Christians is generally considered an act of worship. Nowadays, many Christians seem to have lost sight of the true purpose of worship and such giving.
Worship has become valued in terms of convenience, and many seem to view their giving as a traditional obligation or dues to a church.
Others view their donations as a heavy burden and take only a symbolic part in it.
Worship of God and One Body
When Christians gather on the Lord's Day, they honor God. This is the essence of Christian worship.
However, contrary to popular misconception, there is much more to Christians meeting together for worship than what can be seen or heard.
When a true or conscious Christian worships God in a congregation, he acts not as a separate individual, but as a part of one Body. Christians unite their voices in communal singing. Jesus joins us as this one Body gives praise to God's name (Hebrews 2:11,12).
Christians are one Body in one prayer to God, offered through Jesus, who is the head of this Body. Christians are united in the sacrament, which serves as a reminder and symbol of our fellowship with each other, with Christ and His sufferings (1 Corinthians 10:16,17).
When Christians unite their minds and hearts in studying and meditating on God's holy word, they grow in understanding of it, and move as one toward the perfection and unity of this Body in Christ (cf. Ephesians 4:1-16).
Likewise, the voluntary giving of Christians is nothing more than a consolidation of her funds to increase her ability to provide for the needs of those whom she helps. Every act of worship expresses in some way the unity of the Body, the people being united into one body.
No part of the worship service separates just one member or small group from the whole Body.
Christian Giving in the Bible
One of the most impressive features of the Church in the first century was its generosity and hospitality. From its very beginning we can read of Christian fellowship and total devotion to the apostolic teaching (Acts 2:42). The result of this fellowship in spirit was an unprecedented display of selflessness and sharing.
“Yet all the believers were together and had everything in common. And they sold estates and all kinds of property, and distributed them to everyone, depending on each person’s need.” Acts 2:44,45
This marked the beginning of voluntary offerings made by the Church. The motivation for this generous giving, as described in more detail in Acts 4, was not simply any commandment, but a spirit of love.
“The multitude of those who believed had one heart and one soul; and no one called anything of his property his own, but they had everything in common.” Acts 4:32
Moreover, it should be noted that these donations were made in response to a genuine need. They were not collections for the sake of collections, simply because they were expected to give. Oh no! Those donations have never been more sincere, impressive or huge. Listen to how the Holy Spirit describes their generosity.
“There was no one in need among them; for all who owned lands or houses, selling them, brought the price of what was sold and laid them at the feet of the Apostles; and everyone was given whatever they needed.” Acts 4:34,35
More specific information is given about one special need concerning the care of Christian widows (Acts 6:1). Caring for these needs was a "daily" nature and the Church, following the direction of the apostles, developed a plan to help fulfill this ministry (verses 2-6).
Seven chosen men began to perform the duties for which deacons (i.e., ministers, see Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:8-13) were later chosen.
In the New Testament, caring for widows and orphans is presented as a normal work of the early church, and funds collected were specifically used to support those widows for whom the church was required to care (James 1:27; 1 Timothy 5:3-16).
With the growth of the Church and the scattering of Christians around the world, this fellowship of “giving and receiving” has outgrown the level of local communities. Acts 11 describes events that took place in Antioch, including the prophecy of “a great famine throughout the world” (verses 27-28). Listen to how the Bible describes the reaction of the Antioch Church of Christ.
“Then the disciples decided, each according to his means, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea, which they did, sending [the collection] to the elders through Barnabas and Saul.” Acts 11:29,30
From this we learn some curious features which were common to all the free-will giving of Christians described in the Bible, and which, in fact, are the giving of those who truly hold to God's word today.
- “Then the disciples laid it down.” These were indeed voluntary donations. They were not forced, but motivated by love for their fellow men.
- Their giving was from “each according to his means.” Those who had more gave more, simply according to their capabilities. The poor gave what they could and received no less honor than the rich. (This illustrates what was said above about the Church acting as one body and not as individuals. The emphasis here is on what the entire church did in Antioch, not just its individual members.)
- Their donations were in response to a specific need “to send relief to the brothers living in Judea.”
- Their alms were sent to the elders of the other community for distribution according to need.
- Their alms were not sent to any charity, but to the "brothers." There are no biblical examples of Christ's church as a church uniting with unbelievers to do its work. (This does not exclude the possibility for Christians to independently participate in non-religious programs of a local, national or international nature by doing good works (see Galatians 6:10)).
We can truly see the love, the compassion, the generosity of the early Christians as they sacrificed to help other brothers and sisters they had never met before.
This sacrificial compassion still arises today where people understand the community of one Body in Christ.
For Christians who have received so much from God, it is difficult to neglect the pain of others and especially those who are also part of the Body of Christ.
When and how often should Christians give?
The New Testament Church was commanded: “On the first day of the week let each of you lay it aside and store it up” (1 Corinthians 16:2). The church in Corinth participated in raising funds to help the saints in Judea.
More information is given in 2 Corinthians 8 and 9, which reinforce the principles previously mentioned from Acts 2,3,4,5,6 and Acts 11. The collection of offerings by the church in Corinth was not limited to just the local group. Paul said, “When you gather together for the saints, do as I commanded in the churches of Galatia” (1 Corinthians 16:1).
The collection of offerings on the first day of the week is authoritative as a “commandment” or “command” (and therefore not selective), and also, according to Paul’s instructions, has a universal character. Voluntary donations to the Church of Christ, then and now, were made absolutely on every Lord's Day (or Sunday), and on no other day.
Note also that this “command” prescribes a day for giving, not the giving itself, which they already practiced.
How much should Christians give?
Tithe collection is practiced by many denominational groups. The tithe was a set contribution under Old Testament law. In the New Testament there is no such institution as tithe (ten percent deduction). According to the law of Christ, the amount is determined in accordance with the following principles:
Common unbiblical practice among denominations
Despite the clear teaching of Christ, it is not uncommon for denominations to have their own plan for financing their work. Many of them have replaced freewill offerings on the Lord's day, and make money collections at all their meetings, on any day of the week, and as they please.
Some have made it more like paying bills, i.e. in such sects they try to set the amount of donations and closely monitor how their members donate.
Others are either modifying voluntary donations or replacing them with sales, auctions and asking the public to raise funds for them.
One of the things that has led many religious groups to behave this way is that they have changed the direction of the Church's work as recorded in the Bible.
Very often, such churches raise funds for various forms of entertainment and social programs or buildings for these activities.
It seems that youth activities or outings are considered by many to be the work of the church, but God did not intend for the church to fund all of this.
When a church sets goals for itself that God did not intend for it, then God's funding system will not be able to meet them. Any church whose work is carried out in accordance with the New Testament, through the efforts of conscientious and selfless Christians, can finance this work entirely by voluntary donations, which are collected on the Lord's day.
True understanding
In each of these examples, you need to clearly understand the difference between sin and reasonable behavior. For example, one should not blame every zealous family man and say that such money-grabbing and hoarding is contrary to faith. For a family person, and indeed for anyone who has the ability to provide for themselves and loved ones, this is a basic task.
Note! Refusing money-lending does not mean completely throwing out all items from the house, or not trying to provide for yourself at all.
Refusal from sin implies an understanding that material values are less important than spiritual ones. You need to take care of the material side, but within reasonable limits, so as not to burden anyone and carry out worldly affairs, to be able to help others.
As many know, even the saints always engaged in righteous work and could not deny themselves anything, but were content with little. Thus, Seraphim of Sarov had his own garden and provided himself with food, not needing anything; the Optina and Athos elders and monastics also do housekeeping and handicrafts, thanks to which they can help others. For example, according to the lives of famous elders, they often treated and received a huge number of pilgrims; the elders received their property through their own labor.
Interesting to know! Where is the Monastery of David's Hermitage: address and schedule of services
Insatiable Tendency
Covetousness - what kind of sin is this? How to understand what it is? is a person obsessed with covetousness? He demonstrates an insatiable passion for money. The effect is that he always doesn’t have enough of them, no matter how much he receives. The current person loses all conscience and can rob a gullible grandmother of everything, leaving her out of retirement. A covetous person is not touched by the misfortunes of other people; he will take the last thing from even a small child. Covetous people in life cannot get enough of money; they are never satisfied with other people’s goods. They are ready to at least kill in order to take possession of someone else's property.
Important! Any paradoxomania, except passion for God, is considered sinful. This passion strikes the soul of a person who has departed from God and the commandments
He made his choice in this life - the trend of the soul for the sake of temporary pleasure. It seems to a person that he is done living forever on earth, so wealth will be useful to him. In fact, no wealth saved people from death and God's punishment. The apparatus does not understand that any material wealth actually belongs to God, and demons no longer protect them on earth. But demons are good at kneeling)), so they convince people that they are the owners of countless treasures
This passion strikes the soul of a person who has departed from God and the commandments. He made his choice in this life - the trend of the soul for the sake of temporary pleasure. It seems to a person that he is done living forever on earth, so wealth will be useful to him. In fact, no wealth saved people from death and God's punishment. The apparatus does not understand that any material wealth actually belongs to God, and demons no longer protect them on earth. But demons are good at fighting)), so they convince people that they are the owners of countless treasures.
Exercising exercises in the modern world:
- take away someone else's property, taking advantage of their official position;
- appropriate the work of others and enjoy its fruits;
- excessive anxiety of debtors/borrowers about interest rates;
- unscrupulous exploitation of other people's labor for cheap;
- speculation and inflated prices for products during a crisis, war, or crop failure.
People deceived by the demon will have to even get into the water. If other sins (fornication, drunkenness, gluttony) are forgiven immediately after (a year) of their eradication, then with extortion it is much more difficult: you need to return the loot to people. Is it acceptable to do this if the covetous people managed to spend most of the loot? There is a second way of repentance - to distribute the loot to the poor and stay without pennies of money in order to repent. Will the covetous man be able to take this step? But many monks renounced their legitimate fortunes and inheritance because of serving God with purity of thoughts and clean hands. Only those who sincerely serve God are capable of such forward movement.
Useful video
You can look at yourself from the outside and see in your image a msheloimtsa or another sinner from this series, you can suddenly and clearly: just attend a funeral and see what the deceased takes with him to the next world - how many expensive clothes and jewelry, money. No one argues that things are needed, but this should be perceived unambiguously: things (in reasonable quantities) should serve man, and not man serve things.
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Asking this question - bad profitability, what kind of sin is it, how to fight it, it should be noted that such a concept in the Christian religion represents receiving any income in an unjust, that is, in a bad way.
