Page 155 - Built For God Handbook (Annotated and Explained Edition) - The Christian Edition of the Tao Te Ching - The New Evangelization - Pope John Paul II

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This chapter on spiritual wealth appropriately highlights the spiritual values
of faith, hope, and love, while downplaying possessions, prestige, power,
and pleasure. In particular, it is pointed out that an over-attachment to
possessions will eventually be detrimental to one’s well-being and can even
lead to addiction. There is an invitation here to practice the spirituality of
letting go.

A pleasant surprise is contained in the third stanza, which so closely
resembles a passage from Matthew 6 that one would think these words
were written by the same author or that the latter had access to the first.
Both share the wisdom that righteousness (aligning one’s will to that of God)
and contentment with what one has (our daily bread) leads one to freedom
from enslavement to unquenchable desires.

The chapter concludes with an encouragement to moderation in all things,
another piece of age-old wisdom that keeps one out of the dangers of
excess, assures longevity in this life, and secure belonging in the next.

b
a Matthew 23:1-12; James 5:1-3; 1 Timothy 6:6-10; Proverbs 13:7;
e
c Matthew 6:19-21; Proverbs 13:8; James 2:5; Luke 18:22.
d