Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 12, 13-21
Someone in the crowd said to Jesus,
“Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.”
He replied to him,
“Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?”
Then he said to the crowd,
“Take care to guard against all greed,
for though one may be rich,
one’s life does not consist of possessions.”
Then he told them a parable.
“There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest.
He asked himself, ‘What shall I do,
for I do not have space to store my harvest?’
And he said, ‘This is what I shall do:
I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones.
There I shall store all my grain and other goods
and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you,
you have so many good things stored up for many years,
rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’
But God said to him,
‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you;
and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’
Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself
but is not rich in what matters to God.”
God is wealth
1) Greed. This is a subtle sin that attacks us all. It is important to recognize your greedy tendencies in order not to become mean. It is easier for some of us to walk across the Amazonia than to give money to charity. For many, it is not a question of being frugal and seeking to have more money, greed is a question of not wanting to share with others. This attitude shows great poverty of the soul.
2) Not sharing. The consequence of avarice or greed is that you are oblivious to the needs of others, and you do not care. How many families have separated over money problems and inheritance? When you love money and want to accumulate material wealth you may even leave your family and relatives aside.
3) The true inheritance. Having things to share with others is a true inheritance. I do not deny that you are entitled to own your own things, but it is also good to share with others. This includes giving alms and offerings to the church in order to evangelize. Do not keep everything for yourself. When you share, God will give you back twice as much, I can assure you! As an act of generosity, it would be good to be able to diminish your greed by giving something to your church. If you do not want to give money, then give things like food, clothing, or your time. Everything you share will lead to greater spiritual growth.
God bless you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And don’t forget That Heaven is our goal!
