The Holy Gospel according to Luke (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.”
Reflection: This parable warns us against greed and selfishness. The real riches are defined by the rich relationship we have with God. We are asked to be generous with the gifts that God has entrusted to us. It asks us to be humble, generous and loving.
It seems that in this life and in our culture that there is a race to see who possess the most cars, homes, boats, etc. By possessing the most and grandest items defines who we are in this culture. But does it really define who you are? This message calls for us to focus on Spiritual wealth rather than earthly wealth. Don’t allow this material wealth to consume your soul.
There’s a wonderful character in Tolkien’s book and movie; The Lord of the Rings, named Smeagol. Smeagol is a hobbit, a member of a small, friendly and inward-looking species of humanlike creatures. One day Smeagol discovers a ring, and he quickly realizes that when the wearer slips it on it makes him invisible and it grants the wearer a long life. But the ring possesses a sinister power. The wearer finds himself developing an obsession, a terrible fear that he might lose it, that someone might take it from him. Over time Smeagol becomes so obsessed that he withdraws from his community to live below ground, cradling the ring (“my precioussss”) as he calls it. His greed for the ring changes the shape of his body and his spirit. He becomes mean spirited, vindictive, jealous. He grows slimy and thin. The ring becomes his downfall.
Many people go through life fulfilling the most fundamental precepts of holiness. But Jesus wants so much more from us: He challenges us to strive for perfection. Perfection requires the deepest purification from our unhealthy attachments. Christ calls all people to perfection, to place God above all things. He promises that if we give up our own selves to follow him, he will fill our lives with himself. What more can you ask for?
Action of the Day: What Spiritual Imperfections do you have? What Spiritual Gifts do you have stored in your barns that you haven’t shared? What spiritual wealth can you share?
Audio Reflection:
