Monsignor Pope Ping!
When was the last time you heard a sermon on greed? If you did, it was probably the priest talking about some abstract group of people (not those present, of course) who probably also hold the “wrong” political opinions, etc. Yes, greed is always someone else’s problem.
Say I earn more money. Say I indeed “expand my lifestyle.” What if my family and I go out to dinner, say one more day a week. While we surely are “expanding our lifestyle,” aren’t we contributing to the well being of other hard workers? The restaurant gets more money, the waiters get another generous tip from me, and the economy improves.
Ebenezer Scrooge, the most famous greedy guy of all time, paid plenty of taxes. He didn’t stop making money at the end of the book. He just took the Marly line “MANKIND WAS MY BUSINESS” to heart.
I guess the question we really have to ask ourselves is when does it become disordered; when is it living for the reward rather than living for God.