Black Friday and Cyber Monday have a reputation of helping people find great deals on holiday gifts, but do they encourage consumerism? And how should Catholics take part in them?
According to a recent study, 82% of American consumers plan to shop during Black Friday-Cyber Monday sales. Obviously there’s nothing inherently wrong with this; there are people shopping every day of the year. But deep down, most people have a sense that there’s something off about these two days.
This is about more than reports from consumer watchdogs that many companies use misleading advertising and fail to meaningfully discount many items on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This is about what these two days say about us as Americans.
Pope Leo XIII, who was famously concerned about the US, may have some wisdom to impart. In his encyclical about how to be a good Christian citizen, the pope warns against the temptation of thinking that material wellbeing is all that matters: “Progress, not inconsiderable indeed, has been made towards securing the well-being of the body and of material things, but the material world, with the possession of wealth, power, and resources, although it may well procure comforts and increase the enjoyment of life, is incapable of satisfying our soul created for higher and more glorious things.”
Notice that the Holy Father in no way condemns the material world. Like any good Catholic, he knew that man is body and soul and that we need to take care of our bodies; not for nothing are the corporal works of mercy a crucial part of the Catholic life. But the pontiff does warn against trying to find fulfillment in the things of this world. We are made for more than that.
Every human person is made to know, love, and serve God in this life and be eternally happy with Him in the next.
Like Pope Leo, Saint Augustine taught in his Confessions that nothing earthly can satisfy. As he famously put it, “Our heart is restless until it rests in Thee, o Lord.”
Speaking for myself, I often look to the world to ease my restlessness. Many times have I, anxious and worried about the cares of the world, bought something to ease my discomfort. After the initial rush wears off, though, I am no nearer reaching the goal of Heaven.
The things I buy are not immoral, but that isn’t the point. The point is that I need to ask myself a couple of questions: Am I buying something to better live my life in service of God’s Kingdom? Or am I buying it in hopes of satisfaction and happiness?
Far too often, the answer is the second. At times like those, the words of Christ and the saints ring in my head. Whether Our Lord’s comments on rich men’s similarity to camels or the words of Saint Basil the Great, the Catholic tradition is awash with warnings about the dangers of seeking to store up treasures on earth.
While some might see this fact as discouraging, I find it inspiring. God has given me all I have, and He wants me to share what He has given.
I am not a monk; I am bound by no vow of poverty. I have been called to the vocation of marriage, and my wife and I have been blessed with children. This Black Friday and Cyber Monday, we will be on the lookout for good winter boots for our 3-year-old and a train set for our 1-year-old, both of which are sure to be used.
But when I see a product that is likely to sit in the back of my closet collecting dust, maybe I shouldn’t pick it up, no matter how good a deal it is. I could better use that money helping others.
This doesn’t need to mean giving it to charity (though that’s important too). We might just as well use the money on food to prepare a meal for a friend going through a rough time. We could even spend the money on a Black Friday board game sale, getting something to play with a couple we know who suffered a miscarriage.
The road to Heaven may be narrow, but it also presents Catholics with true freedom. Each of us is surrounded by ways to love others.
Money is not evil, and neither is shopping frugally. So my advice this Black Friday and Cyber Monday? Spend money carefully and for the sake of love, and the Lord will use those purchases to build up the Kingdom of God.
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