The world is progressing and the living standard of people is also improving. So who is considered rich according to Luke 18:25?

It’s absolutely true that as a whole, the global standard of living has been rising. More and more people are capable of living comfortable and financially secure lives. I believe it’s good that we see this fact first of all as a blessing from God for which we can be thankful. God in his providence has inspired minds and hearts to work for the general betterment of the human race. We have better access to basic necessities like food, water, and medicine than ever before. At the same time, there are still millions (if not billions) of people around the world who live in poverty–sometimes extreme poverty. It is estimated that over a billion people go hungry each day.

In the face of that stark reality, it’s easy to see where we might (perhaps nervously) want to know if our particular standard of living counts as “rich” or as “poor.” Here’s the simple truth: we are all poor. We are all poor, because we all enter and leave this world with the same material possessions: nothing. Anyone who owns property only owns it temporarily, as its steward. God inspires each of us to use the goods of this world that he has entrusted to us in various ways, but in the end we are not taking any of those goods with us when we die.

This way of thinking is the first step to living the first Beatitude: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” When we foster an attitude of detachment from the good things of this world, then we are able to better direct our material possessions toward a holy end. The more that I think I am the owner of my wealth, the more that my wealth owns me.

It is absolutely true that some people are much poorer than others, and these people need our help more immediately, because their lives are at stake. Those of us who do own more wealth and property should consider ourselves blessed–and by that same gratitude, we should consider ourselves as even more responsible for the well-being of those who have little. In other words, it doesn’t matter whether you consider yourself “poor” or “not poor.” The more that you have, the more you are called to help those who do not have.