Three friends were at a lake fishing when Jesus appeared to them. When they were finally able to speak, the one fellow said, “Jesus, I’ve suffered with severe back pain ever since I was wounded in the war, will you heal me? Jesus touched his back and the pain left. The second man pleaded, “Lord, heal me as well. I have a terrible eye disorder. Jesus touched his eyes and he received perfect eyesight. When Jesus turned toward the third friend, the fellow raised his hands and cried, “Don’t touch me! I’m on long-term disability!” Ah, how money can affect us!
In today’s Gospel, Our Lord was asked to intervene in an inheritance dispute between brothers. Those can be ugly and estrange families for years, for it can be greed disguised as justice. Our Lord refused to get involved but responds with a parable. A parable was the last thing he was looking for. What do we find in this parable?
At first, the man in the parable seems rather admirable. He is industrious, far-sighted, a “self-made” man. But a second look reveals something else. The rich man’s thoughts are devoid of any reference to God. He is focused only on himself. Notice his thinking: MY harvest, MY barns, MY grain. He finds himself in the destructive trap of avarice or greed.
Sacred Scripture never condemns wealth in itself, but it frequently warns us about its dangers. Possessions can become obsessions. Money can change us. It can cloud our judgment making us less uncharitable, dishonest, and unjust. We can be sure that when our life is arranged around “me, myself, and I” God and our neighbor go to the bottom of the list for our time and attention. More often, they don’t even “make the list.”
Our Lord’s lesson is simple and powerful: don’t be foolish like the rich man in the parable, who convinced himself that he was “all set” so that he could “rest, eat, drink and be merry.” That would be an illusion for wealth is fleeting and the day will come for us all when we shall leave all that we own. We should remember that everything that I own will one day be owned by another…and it’s very likely that the other will not be the least interested in, my antique chair, my jewelry, the Lenox China and all the rest. In fact, my “treasures” may be destined for the yard sale!
A disciple should view earthly things from the perspective of eternity. A Spanish proverb reminds us that “there are no pockets in a shroud” and Pope Francis quipped, “You never see a moving van behind a funeral procession.” We take not our material goods but our good works, not what we have received but what we have given. The most important thing in life is not in having goods but doing good. This is the wealth a higher order within the reach of us all…the wealth that we do carry beyond this earthly life.
The parable of the rich fool prompts this prayer: O Lord Jesus, Christ, though you were rich you made yourself poor for my sake, grant that all greed—my yearning for earthly goods—may die in me, and the desire of heavenly things may take root and grow within me. Keep me from all idle and vain expenditures, that I may always be able to give to those in need, not grudgingly but cheerfully. Help me organize my life around your Word so that I might see the illusion of basing my life on what is fleeting. Help me to choose thoughts that are your thoughts and actions that are your actions so that I might taste with joy the new life you have prepared for me. Amen.
