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 all who store up treasure for themselves
but are not rich in what matters to God.” Lk 12:13-21
Today’s reading reminds me of why we tell kids to work hard at school, to get a good job. Live a comfortable life, have enough money to raise your family and have a good retirement. But then what? What is missing after we have worked hard to get a good education, raised our family so their needs are taken care of and many of their wants (and ours too), enjoyed a great retirement, and on our death bed what will be our regret. Don’t get me wrong, getting a good job and providing for our families is vital to living. Jesus teaches us today that we must see beyond this physical world because something greater is beyond it. We must teach our children about God. Teach them the Good News in a way that is more important than anything in this world. But, most importantly our purpose given to us by God in this world, to love. The greatest regret on people’s death bed is they didn’t love enough. We all know in our relationships we can do better to be less selfish and love more. We must pray and ask the Holy Spirit to guide us in what our vocation is and bring this purpose to our families and work each day. Time is a beautiful gift given to us by God to share love with others in every aspect of our lives. Change now so on judgment day we do not hear, “‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’” Love not greed are the key to living a life of fulfillment as an image of God and being Christ for others starting in your family, in your home.
Today’s challenge: Take time to reflect on the areas of your life where you are being greedy. Is it electronics instead of family, is it hobby over family, is it money over family, is it work over family. Thank God for time to change it now.
Be a servant, become a saint!
#Christian YOLO
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