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Gospel Reading for October 21, 2024 – Luke 12: 13-21
UTTER FOLLY
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.”
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A greedy person is one who thinks only of him/herself and can never be satisfied with the wealth that he/she can amass in life. When one has more than what he/she needs, it means he/she is depriving others of what they need. This kind of attitude is also reflective of a presumption that we can live forever in this world. It is UTTER FOLLY to think that we can live in this world forever. Everyday, an average of 150,000 people die all over the world and this covers only recorded deaths. Here in the Philippines, staffs of a well-known hospital have revealed that more and more people are dying young – between 18 to 30 years old. Whatever the reasons are, the truth is that NO ONE CAN ESCAPE DEATH, young or old. So, why waste a whole lifetime amassing wealth but be a pauper in the end? As Jesus aptly said in Matthew 16: 26 – “For what good will it do a person if he gains the whole world, but forfeits his soul? Or what will a person give in exchange for his soul?” We do not know when life on earth will end for us, but we can live life as if each day were the last, giving our very best to the world, and reaping the benefits in eternity.
Also, we have to live with the constant reminder that the life we received is not only for us. Life is not just about us. Life is all about the intertwining of all of God’s creation: INTERDEPENDENCE. This is why we have to care for all of God’s creation. It is a whole ecosystem that keeps life going.
Father God, our Creator, your works are really marvelous! Thank you for sustaining our lives! Teach us to appreciate this by doing our part in caring for all you created!
