Gospel:
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.”
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Reflection:
What will
be the scenario when we are a few inches away from the doorway of death? Would
we still be concerned about our wealth? No, not anymore what would be of prime
importance during that time are the relationships that we’ve built.
The first
that will matter is the relationship that we’ve built with God, the next is the
relationship that we’ve built with our relatives and friends. Our wealth no
matter how enormous will not occupy a space in our minds.
Why is
this so? Because wealth will not count as our ticket to heaven, what will count
is the relationship that we have created with God. What will count are the good
deeds that we’ve done to those who are in need.
But the paradox is so many of us today who are
alive and healthy are actively in pursuit of wealth. That we don’t anymore care
how many lives would we be stepping on just to have it. We don’t anymore care
if we will be called greedy or corrupt just to have it.
In our
gospel for this Monday, Jesus is teaching us not to live our lives for the
accumulation of wealth, He teaches us to be generous and not greedy. Jesus
teaches us instead to build a relationship with Him. To spread and share our
blessings with others most especially to those who are in need.
For what
is earthly wealth compared to a personal relationship with Jesus? – Marino J.
Dasmarinas
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