Today’s readings for this Sunday force us to reflect about (talk) the concept of success and the importance (attitude) we give to the material things. In fact, our world has become a culture of materialism. A competitive world. A world that tells us we are really somebody when we are popular, when we have a money, when we have a fancy car or when we look more beautiful that others. In the parable Jesus speaks about a man who is convinced that he is successful because he is a rich farmer. He can eat, drink, party for years. But Jesus said to him, fool. Because anytime, God can take his life……No one has any guarantee about how long he will live. And Jesus takes this opportunity to warn people against greed and anything that can become an idol for us. He says that it is illusion to think that wealth or possessions in themselves can give true happiness and especially if we put them in the place of God so that they become idols.
Jesus is not against the rich man in the parable because he is but He is against by the fact that the focus is on himself. He is self centered. He does not consider the needs of the poor. So, this gospel (Jesus’ teaching about possession) raises many reactions among believers. For some, the reading shall come as a shock. For they believe that all that counts in their lives is the accumulation of their assets, their houses, their properties, their financial investments, their car…
Some will be deeply touched. They will perceive a calling. Consequently, they sell at least a part of their possessions and share with the poor. And some among the extremely rich, to enjoy their wealth at a later time, they will have their bodies frozen immediately following their deaths in the hope of being resurrected at a later time. Others will certainly find exciting program that can take them to the bottom of the sea for an experience of the ruins of Titanic that costs more than 16,000 US dollars. A few will also venture into a trip to space, as some have done it, paying millions of dollars. Recently, France has proposed a new aviation feat that will take people to space for a considerable amount of money. Around 20,000 people have signed up for this trip to space.
Some, after the celebration of the Holy Mass, will go home and start working on their last will. They will attempt to determine to whom their wealth should be distributed, sorting the wise from the fools. Then they will hope that after their death, their wish will be carried out, no one challenging their Last Will in a Court of Law. For others, the Word of God entered one ear and went out the other one. They failed to perceive the spiritual wisdom of God in the reading. They will certainly make judgments about the neighbor who has become rich so suddenly and they will also bracket a few of their own relatives and conclude that this Gospel is only for such people.
Considering all of these different reactions, it is obvious that possessions have a strange influence on the human mind. What good is something if we cannot enjoy it? It is not vanity? We need to work hard to provide for our families. That is important. But what is the goal? Most the time, we work hard for something that we always wanted. Once we have it, we enjoy it for a while and then we work hard for the next thing. We often work in vain. We work hard for things that pass away. We are like the man in the parable when store items, stuff for our security and we don’t use them. Look at the yard sale on the weekend every where across the country. Talking from my own experience, I was ashamed last week when I opened my closet and then when I walked in my kitchen because I saw many stuff I don’t use them and I don’t need them. Then I said to myself all these things we don’t use, I don’t use, belong to the poor. Because somewhere in the world, there are people who need what we store up.
My brothers and sisters the good news of today’s readings is a gentle reminder that we are in this world for a short time and that our true home is heaven. The real riches that we take with us to heaven are those we have given to the poor or whatever we have shared with others here in the world. Therefore riches are a blessing when they are shared and a violation when they are stored up. Maybe it is time for us to become more generous and share more our talents, time and treasure. Maybe it is a call for each one of us to examine our conscience about what importance our possessions have in our lives. Do we use them to become rich in the eyes of God or rich in what matters for God? I mean sharing to others? Or we store up only for our security. Let us pray today, let us ask God the grace to be sensitive to the needs of others so that we can share our talents, our time and our treasure to the needy people.
~Fr. Kalombo
