The Nouveaux-Riches and the kingdom of God
Dr. Michel E. Abs
Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches
The term Nouveaux Riches “new rich of wars” is given to any person who acquires wealth illegally, during wars in general, at the expense of people’s needs, livelihood, and dignity.
Such a designation is usually given either to those who benefited, during wars, from storing vital materials such as food, medicine and other commodities necessary for life, and then sold them when the available quantities in the market ran out, or to those who benefited from civil wars relying on their ability to gather odd prospects around them, so they monopolized basic resources and then sold to people in need, or imposed royalties on people under the pretext of protecting them or for any other reason.
The nature of the approach of the Nouveaux-Riches is therefore monopolistic, based on confiscating materials and places exclusively, or coordinating between a group of racketeers controlling a commodity or an area. It goes without saying that terrorism and the invocation of violence are the tools that support barbarous monopolistic work.
The regimes with a free economic orientation are aware of the problem of monopoly in general, especially during wars, and consequently enact laws that prevent its practice under severe legal penalty.
The monopolist and the rich-of-wars – the Nouveaux-Riches - are the object of rejection by their surroundings, and do not enjoy the respect of society, excepting the people who make a living out of flattery and submission to them. Likewise, people view the Nouveaux-Riches as criminals who deserve severe punishment, as they built up false wealth and as they glory on people's pain and tragedies.
But it seems that the term Nouveaux-Riches can be applied not only to those who did enrich themselves exclusively during times of war, but moreso during times of peace by means similar to acquiring wealth during times of war. Should we however want to introduce the variable “war” to this type of acquired wealth, we would say that it is the war of some state and some society on society as a whole.
Some businesspersons expect a change in the legal status of certain goods, such as lifting subsidies or the limited availabilities of specific goods or other similar occurrences, so they proceed to monopolize these goods and put them in hideouts suggesting the behavior of gangs. Such behavior is considered as war on society and classify people adopting it as "criminals against the nation and society", a term designating the height of crime.
Some people’s greed reaches such a high level that they do not hesitate to leave a patient without medicine and an infant without food in order to maximize their benefit from the market, especially when the state is weak, completely absent, or oftentimes submits to their will.
These people have lost the Way as they chose to worship money instead of worshiping the Almighty, the Creator of the universe, who has placed in our hands all the possibilities of wealth and wellbeing.
They have missed the words of the Gospel that reads :”But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?”(Luke 12 :20 ) and” He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty” (Luke 1 :53).
The apostles were alerted to the innate tendency of human beings towards greed, amassing wealth, and corruption at the expense of the common people and society, so the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy saying in his second epistle:
"There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people” (2 Timothy 3:1-5).
He also adds in his first epistle to Timothy: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.( I Timothy 6 :10 )
Moreover he had given him as well a set of commandments in this his first letter, as he said to him:
“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life." (1 Timothy 6:17-19)
Regarding the current situation of humanity, and our countries in particular, what can we say?
We can call out to the Lord, so that humankind would perchance hear!
Look from the heights of your kingdom, O Master, and contemplate how man eats his fellow man, and how he puts his hand on his possessions, his resources, and his entire life!
Look from the heights of your kingdom, O Holy One, and contemplate how greed has prevailed and has overcome humanity!
Look from the heights of your kingdom, O Incarnate, and contemplate how man wreaked havoc on the earth and the environment, and how he ruined the house of Your Father that he made on the day he brought us forth out of nowhere!
Look from the heights of your kingdom, O Merciful One, and contemplate how man turns his other fellowmen into a commodity that he analyzes for sale and purchase.
Look from the heights of your kingdom, O Victor over annihilation, how human beings annihilate one another under various pretexts.
The time has come for You to take up the whips again in the face of the merchants of humanity, of human values and creed. The time has come for Your Kingdom to come on earth, to spread justice and peace.
Humanity has gone too far!