Jesus Christ speaks of greed and material possessions as empty .

Jesus tells of a wealthy man who builds bigger barns to store

his crops for a life of ease, only to lose his life that same night.

Greed acts as a false security that distracts the heart from God and meaningful relationships.

 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊     

Ephesians 2:1-10

You were dead,

Through the faults and sins. Once, you lived through them, according to this world,

and followed the Sovereign Ruler who reigns between heaven and earth, and who goes on working,

in those who resist the faith. All of us belonged to them, at one time, and we followed human greed;

we obeyed the urges of our human nature and consented to its desires. By ourselves,

we went straight to the judgment, like the rest of humankind.

 

But God, who is rich in mercy, revealed his immense love. As we were dead through our sins, he gave us life,

with Christ. By grace, you have been saved! And he raised us to life, with Christ, giving us a place with him in heaven.

In showing us such kindness, in Christ Jesus, God willed to reveal, and unfold in the coming ages,

the extraordinary riches of his grace. By the grace of God you have been saved through faith.

This has not come from you: it is God's gift. This was not the result of your works,

so you are not to feel proud. What we are is God's work. He has created us,

in Christ Jesus, for the good works he has prepared, that we should devote ourselves to them.

 

Ps 100:1b-2, 3, 4ab, 4c-5

The Lord made us, we belong to him.

 

＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊      

Luke 12:13-21

Someone in the crowd spoke to Jesus, "Master, tell my brother to share with me the family inheritance."

He replied, "My friend, who has appointed me as your judge or your attorney?"

Then Jesus said to the people, "Be on your guard and avoid every kind of greed,

for even though you have many possessions, it is not that which gives you life." 

And Jesus continued, "There was a rich man, and his land had produced a good harvest.

 

He thought, 'What shall I do, for I am short of room to store my harvest? Alright, I know what I shall do:

I will pull down my barns and I will build bigger ones, to store all this grain, which is my wealth.

Then I will say to myself: My friend, you have a lot of good things put by for many years. Rest, eat, drink and enjoy yourself.

But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be taken from you. Tell me,

who shall get all you have put aside?" This is the lot of the one who stores up riches for himself and is not wealthy in the eyes of God."

 

Gospel Reflection ：

It is only in God that we find life.

Accumulation of material possessions has been a significant challenge for many financially capable people.

There is a temptation to acquire and acquire, even items that are unnecessary, forgetting what is essential.

Jesus offered a caution on this in our gospel. Giving an example of a rich man who had so much,

Jesus teaches the crowd about what is truly essential.

 

He speaks of greed and material possessions as things that are not life-giving and do not provide a fullness of life.

No matter how much we acquire, it does not fill the void that only God can truly satisfy.

This has been Paul's exhortation in the first reading. It is only in God that we find life, in fact,

the fullness of it. And that which gives us the fullness of life is free of charge; it is a gift from God.