Justice and Sobriety by St. Robert Bellarmine

A child of this world may indeed affect justice in words; but he cannot possibly do so in deed and in truth. The Apostle then most wisely said, not only that we should live justly, but he premised "denying worldly desires", that he might make us understand the poisonous root of concupiscence must first be plucked up, before the good tree of justice can be planted in our heart. No one can question what is meant by living "justly"; for we all know that justice commands us to give each one his due; the Apostle says: "Render therefore to all men their dues" (Romans 13:7).

There now remains another virtue, which is called sobriety, to which "worldly desires" are no less contrary than to justice. And here we not only understand by sobriety the virtue contrary to drunkenness, but the virtue of temperance or moderation in general, which makes a man regulate what regards his body according to reason, not according to passion. Now this virtue is very rarely found among men; "worldly desires" seem to possess nearly all the rich of this world. But those who are wise should not follow the example of the foolish; although they are almost innumerable, they should imitate only the wise. Solomon was certainly the wisest of men, and yet he besought God, saying: "Two things I have asked of thee, deny them not before I die. Give me neither beggary nor riches, give me only the necessaries of life" (Proverbs 30:7-8). The Apostle Paul was wise, and he said: "For we brought nothing into this world, and certainly we can carry nothing out; but having food and wherewith to be covered, with these we are content" (1 Tim. 6:7-8).

These words are very wise, for why should we be solicitous for superfluous riches, when we cannot take them with us to that place, towards which death is hurrying us. Christ Our Lord was not only wiser than Solomon and St. Paul, but He was wisdom itself, and yet He also hath said, "Blessed are the poor, and woe to the rich"; and of Himself, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head" (St. Luke 9:58). If then "in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall stand", how much more shall every word be true in the mouth of three most wise men? And if to this we add, that our unnecessary riches are not our own, but belong to the poor, are not those foolish men, who carefully hoard up that by which they will be condemned to Hell? If then we wish to learn the Art of dying and living well, let us not follow the crowd who only believe and value what is seen; but Christ and his Apostles must we follow, who by word and deed have taught us that present things are to be despised, and "the hope and coming of the glory of the great God and the Saviour Jesus Christ", alone desired and expected.