When Giving Is the Only Way Out of the Self-Trap

The question of whether money can buy happiness has been studied extensively, and the answer is more complicated than a simple no. Father Mike Schmitz opens his homily on the Gospel of the multiplication of the loaves by citing three researchers who have looked at this question from different angles. Arthur Brooks found that while money cannot buy happiness, it can remove unhappiness—poverty increases suffering and financial insecurity creates anxiety, so having enough money reduces those negatives. Daniel Kahneman's famous research identified a threshold: emotional well-being increased steadily until a person earned roughly $75,000 a year (in 2010 dollars), after which the gains became much smaller. But the third researcher, Michael Norton, made a different claim: it depends on what you spend the money on.

The Word of the Gospel Is "Give"

The thread running through the Gospel reading is giving. Jesus hears about the death of John the Baptist—who had given his life in testimony to the truth—and withdraws to grieve. But when he sees the crowds, he stops and gives his time, his attention, and his healing. When the disciples want to send the hungry crowds away, Jesus tells them, "Give them some food yourselves." They have only five loaves and two fish, but they give what they have to Jesus, and the multiplication happens.