Luxury, sin, and human dignity: if God paid the ultimate price for each of us, why do we settle for so little?

We live in a society obsessed with labeling everything. A luxury car, a yacht with a helipad, a trip to Europe, or a corporate building all have an exact price tag in millions of dollars. We know what tangible things cost, but do we really know what we are worth?

Starting from the distinction between that which “has a commercial price” and that which transcends money, the priest issues a direct call to the conscience of the faithful:  the value of the human being is not measured in material goods, but in the cross.

The Calculation of Love: A Crucified God

During his address, the priest used an economic analogy to illustrate the disproportion between earthly luxuries and spiritual dignity. While a helicopter or a high-end boat might cost around a million dollars—a high price, but attainable for only a few—the ransom paid for a human life goes far beyond any market.

Do you want to know your worth? Look at the cross. You are worth a crucified God.

For Father Ángel, forgetting this truth inevitably leads to spiritual lukewarmness and the normalization of mortal sin. He argues that it is a blatant contradiction that the Creator gave his own Son out of love for every person, while human beings are often unwilling to make the slightest effort for their own salvation or that of their loved ones.

A call to family and personal responsibility

The reflection transcends the individual and focuses on the commitment to new generations. Addressing parents in particular, the priest questions how children are being educated and guided in accordance with this infinite value:

• The comfort trap:  He criticizes the attitude of apathy towards moral precepts (“how lazy to live these precepts,” he points out ironically), warning against the temptation to go through life seeking only pleasure without assuming ethical responsibilities.
• The treasure of children:  Remembering that we have children to educate, guide and direct, raises the urgency of living up to what each one cost.

Don’t miss out

The message concludes with an invitation to hope and transformative action, reminding us that the price of love is God himself and that the logical response to such self-giving is to open ourselves to goodness. With a blend of firmness and pastoral warmth, Father Espinosa de los Monteros urges us to awaken:  “I cannot lose myself. What God has done for me, and I am not willing to do anything for myself…”

An essential reflection to shake up routine and rethink priorities from a transcendent perspective.