Gospel: Lk 12:13-21
SOMEONE in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” He replied to him, “Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?” Then he said to the crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.”
Then he told them a parable. “There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ And he said, ‘This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!” ’ But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’ Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God.”
* * *
The Gospel is located in the middle of Jesus’ teaching on how his disciples should see worldly wealth. When someone asks him to arbitrate in an inheritance case, Jesus warns, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of posses sions” (v 15). After telling the parable of the Rich Fool, Jesus will invite the crowd to trust God who provides for all his creatures (cf Lk 12:22-34).
In the eyes of the world, the rich man in the parable is competent and wise: he has succeeded in accumulating riches for himself. In the eyes of God, however, he is a foolish man who does not know what life is all about. He denies the existence of God not so much by his words as by the way he lives. He amasses wealth and desires more only to be able to lead a carefree, luxurious, even dissipated life. He does not realize that life is a gift of God who will one day ask everyone to account for the way the gift is used.
When God suddenly confronts him with the reality of death, the rich man is exposed for what he truly is: foolish and poor. He will lose all his material wealth in death and because he is also poor in the matters of the spirit, he will come empty-handed before God.
Jesus says, “Where your treasure is, there also will your heart be” (Lk 12:34). Who or what are your treasures? Do these lead you to or away from God and neighbor?
* * *
SOURCE: “365 Days with the Lord 2018,” ST. PAULS Philippines, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 895-9701; Fax 895-7328; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.
