Don't be a fool

 

Welcome to my blog. Pace be with you.

in yesterday's and today's readings the Lord Jesus teaches us profound truths for our daily life.

Monday 19 October 2020

Don't be a fool

 

Gospel

Luke 12:13-21

Fool! This very night your soul will be demanded of you

A man in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Master, tell my brother to give me a share of our inheritance.’ ‘My friend,’ he replied, ‘who appointed me your judge, or the arbitrator of your claims?’ Then he said to them, ‘Watch, and be on your guard against avarice of any kind, for a man’s life is not made secure by what he owns, even when he has more than he needs.’

Then he told them a parable: ‘There was once a rich man who, having had a good harvest from his land, thought to himself, “What am I to do? I have not enough room to store my crops.” Then he said, “This is what I will do: I will pull down my barns and build bigger ones, and store all my grain and my goods in them, and I will say to my soul: My soul, you have plenty of good things laid by for many years to come; take things easy, eat, drink, have a good time.” But God said to him, “Fool! This very night the demand will be made for your soul; and this hoard of yours, whose will it be then?” So it is when a man stores up treasure for himself in place of making himself rich in the sight of God.’

 

Prayerful reflection

There is a dispute in the family about inheritance – who gets what? One of the brothers seems to have grabbed the whole lot and won’t share it with his brother. The deprived brother appeals to Jesus to tell him to give him his share. But Jesus dismisses the request off hand. ‘Man (in the original) who made me your judge?’ He is not interested in the request.

Why not? Because possessions do not give us life security. Possessing property cannot give us the peace and happiness that we all desire. Nor can they prevent tragic accidents and many crippling diseases. Ultimately, they cannot prevent death. In the face of death, what is the value of wealth? Jesus does not condemn earning wealth and putting aside for the future. If everyone is poverty stricken, if no one has the ability to earn wealth, then how are the rest of us going to live. We all need jobs and an income to survive.

If we carefully read the parable Jesus gives, we will understand what is wrong. The rich man is clever, he has ability, and he can earn. This is admirable. But then look at what he says: what am I to do? I don’t have room for my crops. This is what I will do, I  and my is all we hear. He thinks only of himself. He is oblivious of others who, for instance, have worked for him and helped him earn this wealth. He doesn’t think of any one but himself and his own future.  He has wealth and so, it seems, he has everything life can offer. But has he? You fool, God says. You have forgotten one thing – your life is not yours and tonight you will die and then you will lose everything you have earned. Then what is your state? You go to God empty handed and you have not earned any friends who are with God and who will plead for you. you are poor indeed.

The teaching of Jesus is clear. Use your ability, earn as much as you can. But then keep what you need to live one. There is no need to live in penury. But what you don’t need share with those who do need it. In this way you will be rich in God’s eyes because you will be doing just as he does. Everything we have is his gift to us. He shares abundantly.

Sunday 18 October 2020

 

Gospel

Matthew 22:15-21

Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar

The Pharisees went away to work out between them how to trap Jesus in what he said. And they sent their disciples to him, together with the Herodians, to say, ‘Master, we know that you are an honest man and teach the way of God in an honest way, and that you are not afraid of anyone, because a man’s rank means nothing to you. Tell us your opinion, then. Is it permissible to pay taxes to Caesar or not?’ But Jesus was aware of their malice and replied, ‘You hypocrites! Why do you set this trap for me? Let me see the money you pay the tax with.’ They handed him a denarius, and he said, ‘Whose head is this? Whose name?’ ‘Caesar’s’ they replied. He then said to them, ‘Very well, give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar – and to God what belongs to God.’

Prayerful reflection

‘Give to God what is God’s’. well, everything is God’s. I too am God’s. Why did he create me? He created me because he wants me. The amazing truth is that God created me especially because he wants me. He wants me as his own friend, to share an eternity with him in a loving union. It is a union which we cannot even imagine now. He wants me  so much that he was happy to humble himself and become a human being and even go so far as to suffer a cruel death on the Cross for my sake. This is the truth, whether I understand it or not. Everything I have he has given to me. What should I do? I should give myself to him as he has given himself to me. It is of course now in faith. Faith does not deny the reality, it just means that for the time being we cannot see it. God has chosen me and for a loving union I must choose him. I am given in this world the opportunity to love and choose him with freedom. If I saw God, then naturally I would choose to live in that glory and bliss, but would it be true love or looking to my own pleasure? God, like us who are made in his likeness, desire true love from those who claim to love us. By giving everything to God, we show him our love is not self-seeking but pure love for him. This pure love gives us the opportunity to experience the eternal embrace of God.