First Reading: Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23
Reflection:
This Sunday is the only time in the lectionary that we hear from the book of Ecclesiastes. This Sunday’s reading pretty much sums up the message of this entire wisdom text: “All is vanity.” In other words, all the things of this world are meaningless. The message of Ecclesiastes paints a pretty grim picture of life, but still gives us an important lesson. Coupled with the second reading and the gospel reading, we can see the lesson is that our possessions here on earth ultimately mean nothing. We can’t take them with us. “All the toil and anxiety of heart with which [we] labor under the sun” gains us no profit. We work so hard to acquire more things but all those things are worthless in the end. In fact, this pursuit of material possessions only leads to “sorrow” and “grief.” Our obsession with things can even keep us up at night worrying. The author of Ecclesiastes, who is traditionally understood to be King Solomon, wants to warn us to avoid that rat race that consumes us. In fact, if we think of Solomon, we can understand this lesson better, for he was rich beyond measure. He had everything the world had to offer: wealth, power, pleasure. But none of that led to happiness. None of it fulfilled him. For only God could do that. All the rest, then, is meaningless.
Second Reading: Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11
Reflection:
The theme from the first reading continues in St. Paul’s words to the Colossians. Life is not ultimately about our possessions. We are called to “seek what is above.” In other words, our lives should be focused on God and the goal of heaven. For nothing on earth matters without God. All of us will one day die and at that time it won’t matter how much money we had, or how big of a house we had, or what kind of car we drove, or even what job we had. All that will matter is how well we loved God and loved others. Therefore, we should always live with that in mind. And we should avoid every form of idolatry, including greed, which results in putting something above God in our lives. As Leon Bloy once wrote, “The only real sadness, the only real failure, the only great tragedy in life, is not to become a saint.” Nothing else matters. For in the end we will either be with God in heaven or we will be separated from Him in hell. And where we spend eternity won’t be determined by how much money is in our bank account, or how many gadgets we have, or anything else. Therefore, we must strive to “put to death the parts of [us] that are earthly,” and strive to be holy, seeking first the things of heaven.
Gospel Reading: Luke 12:13-21
Reflection:
The man who asked Jesus to tell his brother to share the inheritance with him in this Sunday’s gospel exemplifies what was condemned in the first two readings. He was being greedy and focusing too much on earthly possessions. Therefore, Jesus used this inquiry as a teaching moment to warn against greed. While it is okay to be rich (for money in itself is not evil), it is wrong to be consumed by our wealth and possessions. Ultimately, “life does not consist of possessions.” The man in the Parable of the Rich Fool was so focused on his possessions that he missed what matters most in life. Rather than sharing his abundance of grain, he greedily hoarded it. He thought life was good, for he had everything he wanted and could “rest, eat, drink, and be merry.” But when he died unexpectedly, none of that mattered. Therefore, we should strive to be “rich in what matters to God,” rather than storing up treasures for ourselves on earth. For, as Jesus says elsewhere, “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?”
Application:
What is more important to you, God or your possessions? If God asked you to give up your possessions, would you be willing to do so? Reflect on whether your priorities revolve around things of earth or things of heaven. What do you need to do to focus more on “seek[ing] what is above”?
