A FULFILLING LIFE OF SHARING AND NOT LIVING GREEDILY
The Christian life of discipleship and following Christ entails a generous life of fulfilment sharing what we have with others and not living a greedy lifestyle. The fundamental question is what gives fulfilment to our existential life on earth? In other words, one of life’s deepest questions is: What is the meaning of a man’s life on earth? Or, what profit does a man get from all his labour?
Hence, in a world full of uncertainties, insecurities, and extreme and abject poverty of the first order amidst plenty and greediness. A sense of security and certainty is all it takes for the capitalist-inclined heart or societal structure to create and impose the accumulative culture that breeds starvation, inequalities and societal tensions.
Yet, it is the same world, Christ invites us to be attached to worldly things and to accumulate treasures in heaven by sharing with others what we have.
OUR THEME
The theme of this Sunday is a call to reflect on the vanity of life without God. Indeed, vanity of vanities, everything is vanity! All human life is meaningless if it is seen in itself, apart from God. Yet, how difficult it is for us to be attached to material things: money, properties, amenities, luxuries, tastes, pleasures, loved ones etc.
Therefore, the common theme of today’s readings is the futility of the greedy acquisition of wealth and power because everything and everyone is “here today and gone tomorrow.” So, the meaning of life cannot be found in selfishly hoarding wealth and possessions, but only in sharing these with the needy.
The Lord Jesus invites us to: “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” Mt. 6:33. Also “Do not accumulate treasures on earth … but gather heavenly wealth that does not end” Mt. 6, 19-21; “Because where your riches are, there will also be your heart” Lk. 12, 33-34.
Today’s three readings, from different angles, give us guidelines to review our behaviours regarding material goods and the value of eternal goods.
FIRST READING: ECCLESIASTES 1:2; 2:21-23
The first reading, taken from Ecclesiastes 1: 2; 2: 21-23, in which a warning resonates insistently: everything is vanity: pride, ego, power and wealth (Eccl. 1, 2). The writer of the Book of Ecclesiastes was supposedly King Solomon. One of the most prosperous kings of Israel and on the surface of the earth.
Philosophically, in self-evaluative or self-examining life came to a fundamental conclusion: life with all its glories without God is hellish, with miseries and vanities.
As such, he reminds us that vanity is the culture of accumulation without the thought of sharing. The vanity of individual and cooperative toils of the ‘’haves’’ without due consideration of the ‘’haves-not’’.
In conclusion, “Vanity of vanities!” implies that you can’t take anything with you when you die. So, why all this fruitless effort to live emptily and unsatisfactorily outside God?
SECOND READING: COLOSSIANS 3:1-5, 9-11
The second reading is taken from the Letter addressed by St. Paul to the Christians of Colossians 3: 1-5, 9.11. In it, he admonishes them to aspire for the things above, not to those of the earth (Col 3,2). Since Christ has returned to the Father, we must seek the things that are above.
St. Paul creates the awareness of self-detachment from worldly and material things as the root of all vicious living and calls. The need to be focused on the heavenly treasure that lasts and enriches us to eternal life in Christ Jesus.
Here, we see Paul offering us a sense of accomplishment or fulfilment amidst the vanities of human life. That is, a life centred on Christ is the only meaningful and fulfilling life.
THE GOSPEL: LUKE 12: 13-21
The Gospel of this Sunday tells us about greed through the parable of the rich fool who, while filling his barns with a great harvest, thought that his life was already resolved. Jesus in the gospel upholds the same principle against the economic model of accumulating the foolish individual, in place of charity giving and sharing with the poor.
Interestingly, Jesus did not condemn the rich man for planning to save for the rainy days; rather for his selfishness, pride, lack of generosity to the needy and poor and ingratitude to God; the Giver and Provider of all blessings and bumper harvest.
It is very important to keep in mind that readings of this Sunday, especially the Gospel, do not condemn being rich or planning one’s life for rainy days. However, they condemn the selfish ambition to possess things and power without consideration for others´ well-being.
His sense of self-sufficiency without God and lack of sharing with the needy. The readings also condemn the improper shutdown of material things, money or people that prevent us from being close to God or helping our needy brothers and sisters.
BACKGROUND TO THE GOSPEL OF TODAY
It was not uncommon for people in Palestine to take their unsettled disputes to respected Rabbis or lawyers. However, Jesus refused to be mixed up in anyone’s disputes about money. It will be a diversion or misplaced priority of his mission to call us towards the heavenly kingdom.
Though, out of that request there came to Jesus an opportunity to lay down what his followers’ attitude to material things should be. He had something to say both to those who had an abundant supply of material possessions and to those who had not.
JESUS’ MESSAGE TO THE RICH
To those who had an abundant supply of possessions, Jesus spoke this parable of the Rich Fool.
Two things stand out about this man. (a) He never saw beyond himself. There is no parable which is so full of the words, I, me, my and mine.
(i) The rich fool was aggressively self-centred.
(ii) “There is too much ego in his cosmos.”
(iii) When this man had a superfluity of goods the one thing that never entered his head was to give any away.
(iv) His whole attitude was the very reverse of Christianity. A life of charity and generosity towards others.
(v) Instead of denying himself, he aggressively affirmed himself.
(vi) Instead of finding his happiness in giving he tried to conserve it by keeping.
So long as a man’s attitude is that of the rich fool his desire will always be to get more–and that is the reverse of the Christian way. The Christian life is one of total detachment from earthly things.
Secondly, (b) He never saw beyond this world. All his plans were made based on life here. There is a story of a conversation between a young and ambitious lad and an older man who knew life. Said the young man, “I will learn my trade.” “And then?” said the older man. “I will set up in business.”
“And then?” “I will make my fortune.” “And then?” “I suppose that I shall grow old and retire and live on my money.” “And then?” “Well, I suppose that someday I will die.” “And then?” came the last stabbing question.
This is the hardest truth no one wants to confront in life: after all, said and done, scheming, outwitting and amassing worldly possessions and power, what becomes of us when we die?
The man who never remembers that there is another world is destined someday for the grimmest of grim shocks.
JESUS’ MESSAGE TO THE POOR
Equally, Jesus had something to say to those who had few possessions. In all this passage the
thought that Jesus forbids is anxious thought or worry. Jesus never ordered any man to live in a shiftless, thriftless, reckless way. What he did tell a man was to do his best and then leave the rest to God.
I. Jesus invites us to allow God`s kingdom and his will to be done among, in a way of trust and submission.
II. He invites us to ask for daily bread and not life-long bread. A trusted way of relying on the divine providence of God in our lives.
III. Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God.” We saw that God’s kingdom was a state on earth in which his will was as perfectly done as it is in heaven.
IV. So Jesus is saying, “Bend all your life to obeying God’s will and rest content with that.
The warning to the rich is that so many people give all their effort to heap up things which in their very nature cannot last. Work for the things which last forever, things which you need not leave behind when you leave this earth, but which you can take with you.”
SHARING OUR BLESSINGS AND WARNING AGAINST GREED
There are two very important points in today’s readings: an invitation to share with others and a warning to give up all kinds of greed.
1. We are invited to share our blessings with others. We must be generous in sharing our time, our treasure and our talents in Christian stewardship. Even if we are financially poor, we are blessed with intelligence, goodwill, a sense of humour and the ability to comfort, encourage, inspire and support and help others. God expects us to thank him for all these blessings by sharing them with others for his glory.
2. Let’s control our greed. Our greed takes different forms. For some, it may be the desire for approval and praise of others. For others, it is the uncontrolled desire for power, control or fame. For others, greed takes the form of an excessive and sinful indulgence when eating, drinking, gambling, drugs or sexual activities. Greed also turns our lives away from God and from loving and serving Him in other people. As greed directs all our energy and attention to self-fulfilment, its objects become our false gods, and they will consume us unless we become rich in the eyes of God.
OUR PRAYER
Lord, give us the wisdom to know how to use the things of the world by accumulating eternal things in heaven. Lord, grant us grace to know that virtue is often the golden mean, the middle path between two extremes: hard labour and accumulative spirit for a sense of security and the lazy attitude of not striving and living with the illusive mentality of a window fall amidst abject poverty.
Help us to understand, therefore, that, the meaning of life is not found in possessions of material things, money, fame, or power, but in sharing time, treasure and talents with those in need. And may we put into practice, that amidst hardworking, a good life comes with the habit of sharing and trusting in God at all times. Amen!
