GOSPEL READING Luke 12: 13 - 21
13 One of the multitude said to him, "Teacher, bid my brother divide the inheritance with me."
14 But he said to him, "Man, who made me a judge or divider over you?"
15 And he said to them, "Take heed, and beware of all covetousness; for a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
16 And he told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man brought forth plentifully;
17 and he thought to himself, `What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?'
18 And he said, `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.
19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.'
20 But God said to him, `Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?'
21 So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."
Commentary
Last Sunday, the Gospel Reading is about Jesus teaching us to communicate to God who is in heaven. “Our Father, who art in heaven…” this clearly suggests that God is in heaven and we too are aiming to be there at the right time. And so Jesus prepares us to be there. While on earth, Saint Paul said, we have to think of heavenly thing already. We have to condition our mind and spirit of things that are above.
Digital camera, a laptop, a unit in Globe Asiatique, a fine dining everyday, more friends, more accomplishments such as trophies and plaques, all these cannot compare to the glory which Christ is to be revealed when we are already transformed into our heavenly bodies.
In the first reading, Qoheleth wrote that everything is meaningless. Because as a philosopher he only looked on what is below. He only sees the world. He noticed that everything we are toiling will be left when we die and death is a human reality. What is the use and essence of working so hard to attain money? What is the point of working so hard to know everything? What is the point of everything when all the end prepared for is to die.
The Gospel completes the thesis of Qoheleth. It is very clear then that during the time of Qoheleth there was still no sound doctrine that teaches about the afterlife. Perhaps the writer is trained in a Sadducee manner. Sadducees did not believe the resurrection. The book of Ecclesiastes was written during the time when Greek thinkers are prevalent in the Mediterranean region. More than that the lesson about the book is that during these times Jesus was not yet born. It is tantamount to saying that without Jesus everything could be meaningless. That is why the writer of Ecclesiastes resorted to a very lousy solution to all problem of worthlessness—to eat, drink, and be merry. Enjoy life while you can. It also a positive reminder to all of us who are tirelessly working for nothing. Enjoy the fruits of your labor.
But Saint Paul transcends this drastically. It is not only about living a life for worldly enjoyment. Now that Christ already paid for your sins, you must be celebrating in a Christly manner. What else is Christly but the heavenly rewards? Saint Paul wants us Christians to turn away from the pleasure that is offered in this world but worthless in heaven. So enjoy life on earth while enjoying also for things that are to come.
Jesus in the Gospel transcends all of this. It is not only for ego satisfaction that we are living here in this world. Yes it id good to be merry and enjoy life and the fruits of your toil. It is also good to enjoy the merits that are to come when the Second Coming is fulfilled. However, life is not to be enjoyed only by myself, yourself, or alone. Life and its happiness are to be shared. That is the greatest point. If your goal is to enjoy life by yourself, what can it give you in return? Why were other beings created. Goodness cannot be consumed by only one person. Its nature is to bounce. God cannot content goodness all to himself. He has to share it. That is the reason He created other beings so that they can also enjoy his benevolence. And if you are rich in heavenly wealth then there should be a tendency in you and in me to let goodness spread out and run off. Greed has no room in heaven. It is a form of fleshly desire as Saint Paul enumerated in the second reading.
Now in the Gospel, Jesus is confronted with a man who is requesting for his portion in wealth properties. But Jesus can see the real intentions. Jesus saw that the man is full of greedy intentions. He did not give into the request because malice is intolerable. Instead, Jesus made an avenue to convert the man. He said, “Be careful against all forms of greed…” as a reminder not only to the person but also to all the crowds. It is a reminder that while we are storing up treasures for ourselves here in this life, we have to make sure that we also store up treasures in heaven. What will it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul in the process? These are words coming from Jesus himself. Qoheleth already proved that wealth, prestige, and wisdom are all worthless and it is only Jesus according to Saint Paul who can give this things eternal meaning. With Jesus, learning is wonderful, work is dignified, and all forms of material wealth are precious offerings for the Lord.
Application
Avoid being greedy and be concern with the poorest of the poor by
-giving donations
-taking some time to help another individual in all their undertakings
-be prayerful for others.
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