I am in the middle of reading four homilies by St John Chrysostom, "On poverty and wealth." I will begin by simply quoting him,
"And for this it is that God has permitted you to possess much, not that you should spend it in fornication, in drunkenness, in gluttony, in rich clothing or in any other mode of luxury, but that you should distribute it to the needy."
This is absolutely stunning. The first part of his list lists the obvious. We should not spend our wealth on sin. But the second half lists the rest of the story. We should not spend our wealth on luxury or comfort. We should help the needy.
In short, how can we dare wallow in luxury, when so many suffer in genuine need?
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