Scripture:
Reflection:
In our gospel today, someone says to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” Jesus does not directly respond. Rather Jesus cautions against greed. Life does not consist of amassing lots of possessions. Jesus then shares a parable of the rich man who asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ So, he built larger ones. How many of us have experienced neighbors who continuously purchase or build bigger and better things? (Adapted from Fran Rossi Szpylczyn, Give Us This Day, October 21, 2024, p218.)
Many of us measure our success in terms of the amount of dollars earned, our raises and promotions gained, our productivity levels, and the amount of profit attained from our businesses. Our culture emphasizes that the more we have and gain, the more successful we are. “We earned it, so it is ok.”
In today’s gospel, Jesus reminds us that the riches we store up are not separate from God. There is a contradiction regarding amassing wealth and where it comes from – God. St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians provides us insight—we are given Christ’s saving grace. This is God’s gift to us. Have we accepted God’s grace and mercy? (Adapted from Fran Rossi Szpylczyn, Give Us This Day, October 21, 2024, p218.)
What is our goal and focus in life? When we die, we can take nothing with us except only God’s mercy and grace. We will be asked: have we lived as Jesus did, sharing the inheritance of love to everyone we meet? What will our answer be? (Adapted from Fran Rossi Szpylczyn, Give Us This Day, October 21, 2024, p218.)
Carl Middleton is a theologian/ethicist and a member of the Passionist Family.