For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you by His poverty might become rich.

   - 2 Corinthians 8.9

If we all choose to be humble and poor for Christ’s sake, Who for our sakes became poor though He was rich, then with our various lusts laid aside and mortal cares cast out from the sinful clay...all the sons of God shall mutually enjoy between themselves a true peace and entire charity, by the likeness of their characters and the agreement of their single will.

   - Columbanus, Letter to Certain Bishops, Irish, 7th century

Columbanus was writing to Catholic bishops in Gaul (France) who resented his presence and wanted him to come to a synod so they could either “set him straight” or condemn him. They resented him because he was doing what they should have been doing, but weren’t – preaching the Gospel and establishing communities of faith. 

The bishops had become comfortable in the favor of their local kings and were too busy enjoying their leisure to be bothered by anything like the work of ministry. Columbanus had no wealth of his own, yet he knew that the riches of the world could be a powerful distraction from the work of the Lord. Jesus came, lived, died, and rose again so that we might be made rich in spiritual blessings, especially that of eternal life, the glorious privilege of knowing God. We will never know how great a boon this is until we remove every obstacle to the full enjoyment of it, and that includes any fleshly lusts or possessions that keep us from seeking the Lord.

Columbanus could envision a Church in which no one claimed that anything was his own, and all shared freely of their resources and abilities to aid in furthering the mission of Christ. He could envision this because it’s what he had achieved in Gaul and would again at Bobbio, in Northern Italy.

When the love of Christ and the riches of His Covenant are our primary aim and attainment, everything else that matters will find its proper place in our lives. Until that becomes the case, however, we’re always just a wrong turn away from idolatry.

The true riches of eternal life and joyous fellowship with the saints can only be realized when the false riches of the world have been assigned their proper place in our lives. We spend a lot of time and exhaust a good deal of energy laboring to secure the riches of this world. What about the riches of eternal life?

Psalm 49.7-9, 15 (Sagina: “And Can It Be?”)
See how the wise and senseless die, and leave to others all their gold.
Vainly forever they longed and hoped to have their names and glories told.
Man in his pomp will not endure; like any beast his end is sure.
My God redeems my soul from hell!
His grace and mercy let me tell!