We are tempted to think that having large amounts of money and possessions stored up will make us secure.

 

Every act of love adds to our heavenly capital. 

 

 

 

St. Ignatius of Antioch, bishop & martyr

＊＊＊ 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, 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 with this story, “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.’ So this is what he planned: ‘I will pull down my barns and build bigger ones to store all this grain, which is my wealth. 

Then I may 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 instead of amassing for God.”

 

 Gospel Reflection：

All is Grace

The celebrated novel Diary of a Country Priest by Georges Bernanos tells the story of an idealistic young priest who suffrs in his ministry due to the hostile and dismissive attitude of his parishioners and their shallow faith.

Diagnosed with stomach cancer, he visits a former colleague only to collapse in his house. His friend sends for the parish priest, but expresses fear that the priest might not arrive in time before the man passes.

Then the dying priest, who had suffered through many inner doubts and external rejections, utters these words haltingly but distinctly: “Does it matter?... Grace is everywhere.” With these words, he dies.

In today’s first reading, Paul consistently underlines the extraordinary riches of Grace given to us as gift. Had the rich man seen his abundant harvest as grace and gift, he would have had the largeness of heart to share it with others. What he needed was not larger barns, but a larger heart. He would have still died that night; but it would have been a graceful death.