In his parable about the rich man, our relationship with our possessions.

Do we own them or do they own us?

Or possessions do not have eternal value, we should set our hearts on the things of heaven.

 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊    

Ephesians 2:1-10

You were dead,

Through the faults and sins. Once, you lived through them, according to this world, and followed the Sovereign Ruler who reigns between heaven and earth, and who goes on working, in those who resist the faith. All of us belonged to them, at one time, and we followed human greed; we obeyed the urges of our human nature and consented to its desires. By ourselves, we went straight to the judgment, like the rest of humankind.

 

But God, who is rich in mercy, revealed his immense love. As we were dead through our sins, he gave us life, with Christ. By grace, you have been saved! And he raised us to life, with Christ, giving us a place with him in heaven.

 

In showing us such kindness, in Christ Jesus, God willed to reveal, and unfold in the coming ages, the extraordinary riches of his grace. By the grace of God you have been saved through faith. This has not come from you: it is God's gift. This was not the result of your works, so you are not to feel proud. What we are is God's work. He has created us, in Christ Jesus, for the good works he has prepared, that we should devote ourselves to them.

 

Ps 100:1b-2, 3, 4ab, 4c-5 The Lord made us, we belong to him.

 

＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊     

Luke 12:13-21

Someone in the crowd spoke to Jesus, "Master, tell my brother to share with me the family inheritance." He replied, "My friend, who has appointed me as your judge or your attorney?" Then Jesus said to the people, "Be on your guard and avoid every kind of greed, for even though you have many possessions, it is not that which gives you life." 

 

And Jesus continued, "There was a rich man, and his land had produced a good harvest. He thought, 'What shall I do, for I am short of room to store my harvest? Alright, I know what I shall do: I will pull down my barns and I will build bigger ones, to store all this grain, which is my wealth. Then I will say to myself: My friend, you have a lot of good things put by for many years. Rest, eat, drink and enjoy yourself.

 

But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be taken from you. Tell me, who shall get all you have put aside?" This is the lot of the one who stores up riches for himself and is not wealthy in the eyes of God."

 

Gospel Reflection ：

"Danger of Greed." 

We can only serve truly when we let go of greed. When we serve, we become a blessing to others. Greed hampers our capacity to serve because it pulls us toward the direction of self-preservation. Today's Gospel passage contains two parts: the warning of Jesus against the danger of greed and the parable of the foolish rich man.

 

The parable warns us against all forms of greed. Greed may come in subtle ways. For example, it may be argued that the wealth of the rich man resulted from his hard work, hence, he could reason out that he could keep it for himself. Moreover, because of greed, one may distortedly think that one's life consists only of material possessions.

 

In this case, possession becomes a false security. Try to focus our attention on the parable. There was a rich man who had been blessed with a good harvest. This blessing which the man received from the Lord could have made his heart bigger so that he could also be a blessing to others. However, the said rich man, subtly lured by greed, chose a bigger barn for his self-preservation over a bigger heart for sharing his blessings.