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: Greed is rarely just about wanting more. Often, it is an attempt to quiet an inner sense of fear or emptiness with money, status, possessions, or control. We may see it when we keep buying things we do not need to feel successful, compare our lifestyle with someone else’s, or hold tightly to our resources because we fear there will never be enough.
The rich farmer is not condemned simply because he is wealthy, hardworking, or blessed with a good harvest. He is called a fool because he is completely self-absorbed: his plans revolve around “Himself”. He never asks how his abundance might help a hungry neighbor, support his workers, care for his family, or serve the wider community.
The farmer acts as though he owns tomorrow. We can fall into the same trap when we postpone time with family, delay making peace with someone because we assume there will always be another chance or sacrifice our health and spiritual life to build financial security.
True foolishness is betting our whole life on things we cannot keep while ignoring the One who holds our next breath. It is possible to prepare carefully for retirement yet remain unprepared to forgive, to serve, to pray, or to meet God.
All of this reminds me of a story that I don’t have to repeat; it’s the story about “Scrooge”. Jesus contrasts storing up treasure for ourselves with being “rich toward God” (Luke 12:21). Being rich toward God means receiving our life, time, abilities, and resources as gifts entrusted to us. In practice, it may mean creating room in the budget to help someone in need, sharing a meal with a lonely neighbor, using professional skills to serve a parish or community, giving an employee fair treatment, visiting a sick relative, mentoring a young person, or choosing time with family over another unnecessary purchase. The shift is from accumulation to generosity, from self-protection to trust, and from asking “How much can I keep?” to asking “How much good can I do with what God has given me?”
Action of the Day: Ask yourself: What gifts am I holding back, and who could benefit from them? Wealth is not only money; it can also be friendship, love, compassion, joy, or simply a listening ear.
Audio Reflection:
