Romans 4:20-25
Luke 12:13-21
In our Gospel reading of today, Jesus gave a response to someone who is in a dispute with his brother over an inheritance: “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.” In order to buttress this point further, Jesus tells a parable of a rich person who wanted to hang on to a greater-than-usual harvest, so he would not have to worry ever again about having enough. Doesn’t that seem like a reasonable wish? On the contrary, God in the parable tells the man that he will die that night, and Jesus ends the parable by saying, “Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God.”
When we get greedy, we never have enough. Enough for what we might say? To be happy? To feel safe and secure? To feel powerful? We can seem to forget that our only security comes from God. Our only happiness is in God. And our only real power is the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. St. Teresa of Avila wrote: “Whoever has God lacks nothing. God alone suffices.” And when God is enough for us, we find ourselves able to give of ourselves so that others can have the basic necessities of life. It is the love of God that matters most not the things that we have. And when we share with others, we will never run out because we trust in the riches of God.
Remove from your lives the filth and uncleanness of vice. Your upright life must make you the salt of the earth for yourself and for the rest of humankind.-St John of Capistrano.
Fr Joseph Osho