Homily (Reflection) for
the Eighteenth Sunday of the Year, (C) (31st July, 2016) on the Gospel
Eccl 1:2; 2:21-23;
Ps 89:3-6.12-14.17 (R.v.1) or Ps
94:1-2.6-9. (R.vv.7-8);Col 3:1-5.9-11;
Lk 12:13-21.
It is good to have targets. They
can either be good or bad. Attainment of every target goes with a sense of
fulfilment. However they always open other targets. It is like selecting the
gear of a vehicle. It is always one after another until one reaches his/her
destination.
Topic: What next?
The case presented to Jesus in
today’s gospel by one of His listeners was one of such questions that were
presented before great rabbis to settle. Jesus’ response resembles that of one
with the intention to avoid the question. In the Introduction to the New
Testament examination, the students were asked to write on Saint John the
Baptist. One student began this way, “Who am I and what is my lineage that I
should write on this great saint, John the Baptist? I am not worthy, cf. 2Sam 7: 18, Matt 3:11 I therefore humbly
want to write on Saint John the evangelist”.
This student tried to avoid the question because he did not prepare for
it but in this case, Jesus used the opportunity to address a higher issue; the
attitude of Christians towards wealth.
It is important to note that the problem of the rich man was
not in what his land produced but in his failure to recognize any other person other
than himself and any other world other than his own. He was very much
preoccupied with himself as expressed in the use of the pronouns, I and my.
These exclude both God and neighbours.
… I will do this: I will pull down my
barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.
And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years;
relax, eat, drink, be merry.
The Psalmist wrote, “A king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The war horse is a vain hope
for victory, and by its great might it cannot save” (Ps 33:16-17). The rich man did not live to see his soul “relax,
eat, drink, and merry” as he proposed because his owner and all he had called.
The last two verses of today’s gospel call for serious meditation: “…You fool!
This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have
prepared, whose will they be? So it is with those who store up treasures for
themselves but are not rich toward God”.
The commentary in Life
Application Study Bible: New Living
Translation reads, “The rich man in Jesus’ story died before he could begin
to use what was stored in his big barns. Planning for retirement – preparing
for life before death – is wise, but neglecting life after death is disastrous.
If you accumulate wealth only to enrich yourself, with no concern for helping
others, you will enter eternity empty-handed” (NLT, p.1713).
As one plans for tomorrow, it is wise to put God and neighbours
into consideration. There is a story of a man who had so much on earth. As he
was escorted to his abode in heaven after his life on earth, his guardian angel
introduced him to a number of things and places in heaven. One of these was a
very big mansion belonging to one of his stewards. With this in mind, he was
expecting another paradise within paradise but behold the angel stopped at a very
small hut with grasses for the roof and said to him, “This is your own
dwelling”. He immediately objected and asked the angel to check well. The angel
told him that despite all he had on earth, he never stored up treasure in
heaven.
We must always remember that we are on transit. As we meet our
targets in this life, what about the world to come? Nobody can take anything
out of this world except the good things one did for others, cf. Rev 14:13.
Bible Reading: Matt 6:19-34. 25:31-46; Lk
11:37-54. 16:1-13.
Thought for today: There is life after
death.
Let
us pray: God, help
us store treasures in heaven where they can truly be treasures and ours – Amen.
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are free to share this reflection with others if you consider it worthy.
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