Reflection for August 3, 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Luke 12:13-21

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 is material wealth that many of us struggle to let go of? Why do we cling to it so tightly, as if it were our ultimate security?  

Many are even willing to sacrifice family relationships just to possess this fleeting treasure. Some will go so far as to compromise their integrity, even tarnishing their name and reputation, for the sake of gaining wealth—regardless of whether that wealth is clean or tainted. 

How tragic it is when our desire for material things blinds us to what truly matters. This insatiable hunger for wealth often becomes our passport to hell—one we experience not in the afterlife, but here and now, in this earthly journey. And if left unchecked, this same desire may one day lead us to eternal separation from God. 

Who among us would willingly choose hell in exchange for earthly riches? None of us, of course! Yet, many continue to chase after wealth with such obsession, punishing themselves in the process—perhaps unaware that this greed will only lead to greater misery, anxiety, and emptiness. 

Wealth, in itself, is not evil. It is neutral. It becomes evil only when we allow it to control us—when we let it sit on the throne of our hearts, where only God belongs. So, what must we do? 

We must guard our hearts. We must be vigilant. Let us not allow wealth to manipulate our decisions or define our worth. Let us not permit the fleeting treasures of this world to dictate the direction of our souls. 

In the Gospel, Jesus gives us a profound warning. He says: “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.” (Luke 12:15) 

Jesus is not condemning prosperity. He is reminding us that our true life—our eternal life—does not depend on what we own, but on how we live, how we love, and how we serve. 

One day, all of us will leave this world. And when that moment comes, the key that will open the gates of heaven will not be the wealth we accumulated, but the love we shared, the mercy we extended, and the sacrifices we made to advance the mission of Jesus in this materialistic world. – Marino J. Dasmarinas