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.”
Brothers
1. What we want. Things in life aren’t always the way we want them to be, but sometimes we cling so tightly to what we desire that it turns into stubbornness or a whim. When you let a stubborn whim run your life, that same whim ends up controlling you, making you believe that insignificant things are the biggest tragedies. Life isn’t about what you want; it’s about understanding what God wants for your life and seeing how far you are willing to face things. If you cling to a whim, your own life will become constant self-inflicted pain that will hurt you.
2. Grant us. Everyone has an ego. When someone goes through life full of pride and God humbles them, that can be a lifetime blow. Don’t go around chasing opportunities; let opportunities find you. Don’t let the opinions of others crucify you, or you won’t be able to achieve your goal. Fame, recognition, or power are limited. Elon Musk doesn’t hold power; the person with the power is the waiter who serves you coffee or the doctor who treats you. They are the ones who have power in your life. But sometimes we believe the image we create for others—and for ourselves. For this reason, don’t let power consume your identity.
3. We can. Surrendering to God means letting go, abandoning yourself to God, and it’s not through influence or recommendation. Many people have their identity placed in their job, not in their life. Some people struggle to handle retirement or leaving their job. There are even mothers who treat their children not like kids, but like hostages; they don’t let them go. If they release their child, they feel their life has no meaning. Some people feel beaten down by life because they believe they no longer have power because they no longer have a job. Don’t let your identity stick to your occupation. A diploma doesn’t make you more of a person; when a doctor dies, the diploma doesn’t keep treating patients. Therefore, don’t let degrees, posts, jobs or positions define your identity in life.
Never forget that something good is on the way! God bless you and be with you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
