Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary TimeDoes the possession of wealth gives the desired life? Or the Denial of wealth gives desired life?Eccl 1: 2, 2: 21-23
Col 3: 1-5, 9-11
Luke 12: 13-21Good evening my dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus,
What do you need for your life? Wealthily -rich life or empty poverty life?
You can choose anything. It is free of gift? How many of you want a wealthily life? You can raise your hands. And how many of you want poverty of life? Dear friends all of have names? Your parents might have given you a name. Today all those people who choose wealthily life god gives you a name? and all those who choose poverty of life god is going to give you a name.
Do you want know your names? Let us see today?
The bible gives two kinds of ideas about the wealth. Firstly we should not possess anything of this world because as the saying goes love of money is the root of all evils. On the other hand Jesus teaches that wealth is a blessing of God. Hidden treasure and fine pearls are the best examples given in the bible Mathew 13:44-45.
Now as a human being what to choose. Either to take wealth or to leave wealth? Or should hold it or let it go?
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
'What must I do to gain eternal life?' (Luke 10) That was the question asked by the lawyer to Jesus. This is the story in the background of the 'Good Samaritan'. Finally we all of us know the result that to inherit the eternal life Jesus says that go and sell all that you have and give to the poor then you will have eternal life. Hence love towards the possession or wealth is a hindrance to eternal life. Jesus also says that it is easier for a camel to enter in to the eye of a needle then a rich man entering in to kingdom of heaven. Hence Jesus gives a name for all the wealthy people as Fools.
Also In today’s gospel we reflect a story of a rich man. He has excessive riches but Jesus calls him you fool. Today all those who have excesses of wealth Jesus also calls them you fools. Today who are we before God? Are we fools? On the other hand the poor people are called as friends of God or children of God and blessed by God. Today are we fools or friends of God? Fools have plenty of wealth whereas the friends of Jesus possess nothing of the wealth. Jesus advises us in today’s gospel two things. Firstly we should not be greedy over things; secondly the wealth or property does not give life.
Dear friends why Jesus calls this man as a fool? Is he not a good man? Answer me?
The rich man is a hard worker. Because of his heard work he is able to produce plenty of wealth. He is good thinker. He thinks wisely to build big warehouse to keep his possession. He seems to be a just man because he does not defraud any one. He is good manager and proficient planner. He thinks about his future. Until then Jesus admires about this rich man. But now this man starts to think 'What will I do?' I have plenty of wealth? In this story there are three future events are portrayed in a selfish way. "I will pull down my barns and build a larger one. 'I will store up all my grain and goods, finally he tells to himself " I tell my soul you have ample goods laid up for you!' eat, drink, enjoy, and make merry. Yes dear friends, these words of this rich man reveal the attitude of his self. He is totally a selfish man. He does not bother about his neighbor? God has blessed him with plenty of wealth but he only thinks of himself. Becoming too much of selfish. That is why god calls him you Fool. Today all those who are selfish are also called as fools.
Thus come the words of God you fool tonight you will die. You will have no future? As a result all his wealth will be given to another after his death. He cannot carry even a thing after his death. Yes dear friend this will be our future too.
Everyone on this earth feel that to live our life on this earth we need possessions and rich wealth etc. "Accumulation of wealth 'is a requirement of life of all creatures. Ants’ stores up food for the future, crow collects thorns for its nests, dog chooses a good place to sleep, and hence every creature seeks for its comfortable future. Thus, the addition of wealth, how can the human species as a sin. So dear friends seeking a wealth is not at all sin but seeking the wealth for oneself and only to himself is a sin. For example My house, my bike, my property, my children, etc it brings us a sin rather when you say our children, our people, our country, our nature it brings a blessings.
That is why St. Francis of Assisi clearly told his followers do not possesses anything of this world. For example in all capuchin fraternity we find that the friars cannot hold anything for himself. (For example in our fraternity here I cannot say; it is my bike or my car or my room, etc rather in the fraternity we say our bike, our car, our church, our property, our people etc. today I am here so I use it tomorrow it will be somebody else. For example if I leave Burkina I cannot take anything or I cannot hold anything of mine).
As a result, the first reading gives us the clear picture of our life. That is our life on this earth is ‘Waste, waste completely in vain! The word waste is registered in 35 thirty five times in today’s reading. Hence seeking the wealth on this earth is waste and vain. But seeking the kingdom of God is greater and even it gives eternal bliss of God. The second reading also speaks about seeking the greater things; set your minds on things that are above and not things on this earth. And as Gods children everyone must put on the new nature of Christ. What is the nature of Christ? Christ was born in a manger, he had no house to stay, he had no properties of this earth, he does not have any riches of the earth or gold, he does not seek the earthily power and position. Completely he placed his total trust in the providence of God. Hence as a follower of Christ what are we going to choose for our life? Are we going to choose the wealth of the earth? Or wealth of Christ? Wealth of the earth is portrayed in the second reading as money, power, position, drinking, smoking, fornication, impurity, evil desire, passion, idolatry, anger, wreath, malice, slander, laying, etc and the wealth of Christ is emptiness of the self, poverty, love- love for the poor, love for the abandoned, compassion towards animals, nature and human etc. So dear friends let us reflect and choose today what we want. Do you want wealthily life or Christ’s life? Do you want be called as fools or friends of God.
May God Bless you all!
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