The Spirituality of Money

An Invitation

It is almost Easter and it is almost tax day April 15th. My husband and I just finished preparing our taxes and we are entering into Holy Week so I started thinking about money and the spiritual life. It made me realize that spending time collecting financial records and receipts can be an invitation to ask yourself some tough questions. These are questions that have so much to do with the same issues we talk about in my retreats, such as self-acceptance, worthiness, trust, and surrender.

Money and Personal and Spiritual Growth

I know that my spending habits have everything to do with where I am at personally and spiritually. When I go through anxious times or feel as if I am losing control of a situation, my go-to is to spend money on things that can fix and organize things. This helps me feel like I can control something. My relationship with money is tied to my trust (and lack of trust) in God.

Money is an uncomfortable topic. Henri J.M. Nouwen in, “The Spirituality of Fundraising,” says, "The reason for the taboo is that money has something to do with that intimate place in our heart where we need security, and we do not want to reveal our need or give away our security."

Questions to Ask Yourself

My sister, Kim Gaxiola of TechGirl Financial, is a financial consultant and even though we are in two different fields, we often talk about how related they can be. How you spend your money can have a lot to do with where you are at personally and spiritually.  When she talks to her clients, she always asks them first about their values. She says, "Your relationship with money is part of a bigger picture of what you value. The question is, what do you value and are you having that conversation with yourself? What do you value and does your spending reflect that?" I would add, “Are you having that conversation with God?”

Here are some reflection questions on values, self-worth, and trust so you can start your own conversation with God on your relationship with money and your relationship with God.

Spending and Self-Image

• The phrase "personal worth" is used in light of our financial assets and our value as a human being. How does having, or not having, money affect your self-esteem, or sense of value?

Saving and Trusting in God

• Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21 How do you feel when you read this verse? Trusting? Challenged? How is it speaking to you today?

Stewardship

• Several years ago I was the stewardship chair at my parish and decided to look through my old files. One of the flyers we passed out from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops reads, "As Christian stewards, we receive God's gifts gratefully, cultivate them responsibly, share them lovingly in justice with others, and return them with increase to the Lord." How much do you practice gratitude? What does Christian stewardship mean to you?

My relationship with money is always evolving, just as my trust in God grows. Accepting myself for all that I am and all that I am not, learning to surrender, practicing gratitude, and trusting God in the areas that are challenging for me, all help me grow into a better steward. Years ago, my parish read this prayer together every Sunday. It was such a blessing to have these questions and the call to stewardship at the forefront of my mind every week. It was such a gift to find it again and pray through it. I invite you to take a moment and reflect.

Stewardship Prayer  

O Merciful God, 

You are the provider of all that we are

and all that we have. 

You open wide your hand to provide for the needs of every living creature. 

Make us always grateful for your loving mercy

and grant that we may be faithful stewards of your gifts;

Through Jesus Christ our Lord, 

who, with You and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, forever and ever. 

Amen. 

May your Easter season be a time of new life that brings a renewed sense of self-worth grounded in God's love. May that self-acceptance bring a renewed sense of trust that God truly is the provider of all that we are and all that we have. Wishing you a reflective tax season... and more importantly... A blessed Holy Week and Happy Easter.