St. Basil on credit-card debt
"He lends no money at interest."
— Psalm 15:5a
Truly, usury involves the greatest inhumanity, since the one in need of necessities seeks a loan for the relief of his life, and the other, because he is not satisfied with the capital, contrives revenues for himself from the misfortunes of the poor person and gathers wealth. The Lord has laid a clear command on us by saying: "And do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow" (Matthew 5:42b). But when the greedy person sees someone by necessity bent down before his knees as a petitioner, practicing all humility and uttering all kinds of requests, he does not pity the one who is suffering misfortunes beyond what he deserves. He takes no account of his nature; he does not yield to his petitions; but he stands rigid and harsh, yielding to no supplications, touched by no tears, persevering in his refusal. Because he calls down curses on himself and swears that he is entirely without money and is himself looking around to see if he can find someone who lends money out at interest, he is believed in his lie because of his oaths and incurs the guilt of perjury as the evil profits of his inhumanity. But when the one who is seeking the loan mentions interest and names his securities, then he pulls down his eyebrows, smiles, and remembers somewhere or other a family friendship. He addresses him as "Associate" and "Friend" and says, "I will see if I have any money at all reserved. There is a deposit of a dear friend who entrusted it to me for matters of business. He has assigned a heavy interest for it, but I will certainly remit some and give it at a lower rate of interest." Once he has made such pretenses and fawned upon and enticed the wretched person with such words, he binds him with contracts. Then, after he has imposed on the person the loss of his freedom in addition to his oppressing poverty, he leaves. By making himself responsible for the interest (of the full payment of which he has no idea) he accepts a voluntary servitude for life.
Tell me: do you seek money and financial resources from a poor person? If he had been able to make you richer, why would he have knocked on your door? When he came for help, he found hostility. When he looked for antidotes, he found poisons. It was your duty to relieve the person's destitution, but you sought to drain the desert dry and increased his need. Just as if a doctor were to visit the sick and instead of restoring health to them take away even their little remnant of physical strength, so you also would make the misfortunes of the wretched an opportunity for revenue. And, just as farmers pray for rain for the growth of their crops, so you also ask for poverty and need among human beings so that your money may be productive for you. Don't you know that you're making an addition to your sins greater than the increase to your wealth that you are planning from the interest? Whenever the one who is seeking the loan considers his poverty, he stops in the middle of his difficulties and despairs of the payment. Nevertheless, when he considers his present need, he makes a rash bid for the loan. And so the one is overcome by yielding to his need, and the other leaves after having protected himself with securities and contracts.
— St. Basil, Homily on Psalm 15 (section 1)
Adapted from the translation of Sr. Way, Exegetic Homilies (Washington, D.C.: 1963), 182-83
— Psalm 15:5a
Truly, usury involves the greatest inhumanity, since the one in need of necessities seeks a loan for the relief of his life, and the other, because he is not satisfied with the capital, contrives revenues for himself from the misfortunes of the poor person and gathers wealth. The Lord has laid a clear command on us by saying: "And do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow" (Matthew 5:42b). But when the greedy person sees someone by necessity bent down before his knees as a petitioner, practicing all humility and uttering all kinds of requests, he does not pity the one who is suffering misfortunes beyond what he deserves. He takes no account of his nature; he does not yield to his petitions; but he stands rigid and harsh, yielding to no supplications, touched by no tears, persevering in his refusal. Because he calls down curses on himself and swears that he is entirely without money and is himself looking around to see if he can find someone who lends money out at interest, he is believed in his lie because of his oaths and incurs the guilt of perjury as the evil profits of his inhumanity. But when the one who is seeking the loan mentions interest and names his securities, then he pulls down his eyebrows, smiles, and remembers somewhere or other a family friendship. He addresses him as "Associate" and "Friend" and says, "I will see if I have any money at all reserved. There is a deposit of a dear friend who entrusted it to me for matters of business. He has assigned a heavy interest for it, but I will certainly remit some and give it at a lower rate of interest." Once he has made such pretenses and fawned upon and enticed the wretched person with such words, he binds him with contracts. Then, after he has imposed on the person the loss of his freedom in addition to his oppressing poverty, he leaves. By making himself responsible for the interest (of the full payment of which he has no idea) he accepts a voluntary servitude for life.
Tell me: do you seek money and financial resources from a poor person? If he had been able to make you richer, why would he have knocked on your door? When he came for help, he found hostility. When he looked for antidotes, he found poisons. It was your duty to relieve the person's destitution, but you sought to drain the desert dry and increased his need. Just as if a doctor were to visit the sick and instead of restoring health to them take away even their little remnant of physical strength, so you also would make the misfortunes of the wretched an opportunity for revenue. And, just as farmers pray for rain for the growth of their crops, so you also ask for poverty and need among human beings so that your money may be productive for you. Don't you know that you're making an addition to your sins greater than the increase to your wealth that you are planning from the interest? Whenever the one who is seeking the loan considers his poverty, he stops in the middle of his difficulties and despairs of the payment. Nevertheless, when he considers his present need, he makes a rash bid for the loan. And so the one is overcome by yielding to his need, and the other leaves after having protected himself with securities and contracts.
— St. Basil, Homily on Psalm 15 (section 1)
Adapted from the translation of Sr. Way, Exegetic Homilies (Washington, D.C.: 1963), 182-83
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