May the Lord kindly bless you with good health and happiness in the Holy Spirit. We are on the 18th Sunday of the ordinary time. We reflect on Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23; Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11 and Luke 12:13-21.
“One of the weaknesses of our age is our apparent inability to distinguish our needs from our greed,” says Don Robinson.
If we have no treasure in front of God all our wealth in the world is in vain is the theme of the Sunday. “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.” (Jn. 6:27). “What does it profit us to have gained the whole world, and to have lost or ruined our own self?” (Lk 9:25). “Our life is not made secure by what we own, even when we have more than we need” (Lk 12:15).
Do I live a meaningful life? Do I have a purpose in life? What is the noble intention of our birth?
There is something better to search for in our life more than wealth, power, and riches. Our appetite for money, power, wealth, and riches never will be satisfied by anything and increases as we long for more.
The first reading warns all of us that we came with nothing, and we take nothing out of this world. “For all their days are full of pain, and their work is a vexation; even at night their minds do not rest.”
We have a rich fool who played smart with God. The riches and wealth could not provide what he was looking for in his life at the end. In other words, we came empty-handed, and we returned or are forced to return empty.
Wisdom for sale. A man went to buy wisdom from a shop that advertised selling it. A man who sold wisdom always gave a piece of wisdom in a paper-written letter. He used to write: “Remember your end in everything you do and say.” “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Ps.90:12).
In the second reading, St. Paul reminds us: “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.” (Col.3:5).
The Gospel teaches us that we become foolish and selfish when we hoard riches and wealth without spending it for the common good.
Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” (Lk.10:15). Greed is the creed for many who believe. The distance between the rich and the poor is widening because of our unquenchable greed in us. Using people for their own pleasure, accumulating and
Jesus invites us to invest wealth in Heaven. How do we do that? Jesus Himself answers to the young man:
A man was under a tree praying and heard someone cutting a tree. Since he was in deep prayer, he did not open his eyes and see if what he heard is true. The cutting continued day by day and became louder so he opened and found a man cutting trees beside him. He asked the woodcutter why he was cutting the trees. The woodcutter told the guru that he was providing everything for his wife and children. Feeling pity for the woodcutter, he urged him to go deep into the forest for valuable and priceless trees. The guru constantly encouraged him to go deeper into the forest to find silver, gold and precious stones and he never moved away from the entrance of the forest praying. One day, the woodcutter reflected on his riches and wealth and looked at the guru who went in search of such things and asked him: why is he not searching for the wealth sitting there and reflecting? Then the guru replied in a gentle but clear word that he was searching for something that lasted and never perished and pointed out to the woodcutter that he was worried about collecting things that would perish one day.
What are we searching for in our life? Is our search horizontal or vertical?
The purpose and meaning of our lives are to live for the welfare of others dealing with our unquenchable greed and promoting respect and dignity to all persons surely paves the golden route to live for a higher cause. Greed is proof of a lack of love for others.
Prioritizing our needs, desires, and ambitions might end up justifying suffering, pain, and loss in others eventually we tend to ignore them. We live in a dichotomized world that opposes its own intention and meaning for its own existence.
We are invited to inculcate three things in our life. To pursue a life with a creed, not greed; giving meaning to the intention of life without contention, and living for the world not leaving the world.
Why some are happy, rich, luxurious, successful, genius, healed, and religious while others are unhappy, poor, uncouth, failure, broken, and immoral?
We are the rich fools indeed. We all have to have to face the Gospel in our life: “And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So, it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.” (Lk.12:21).
There may be many listening and reading to this message who are still thinking to divide wealth and property for themselves by selfish amassing. “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” (Lk.12:15).
May we begin to accrue treasure in Heaven. May God bless you.