Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23
Vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 95:1-2,6-9
If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Second Reading
Colossians 3:1-5,9-11
There is neither Greek nor Jew, but Christ is all in all.
Gospel Reading
Luke 12:13-21
A person's life does not consist of possessions.
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 all who store up treasure for themselves
but are not rich in what matters to God.”
Background on the Gospel Reading
In Chapter 12 of Luke's Gospel, Jesus instructs his disciples and the crowd on how to be ready for the coming judgment. A crowd of many thousands has gathered to hear Jesus. At first he speaks only to the disciples, reminding them that it is not persecution they should fear but the judgment that is coming for all who do not acknowledge the Son of Man. Suddenly a man in the crowd shouts out to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” He seems to have grown tired of Jesus speaking only to the disciples. Jesus offers the man no help. Instead he uses the question to teach what, in light of the coming judgment, life really consist of.
Jesus tells the crowd a parable. A rich man's lands have yielded more crops than expected. His response is not to consider how he might share all the extra food with others but to wonder how he can possibly store it all. He has what he thinks is a brilliant idea: to tear down his present barns and build larger ones. Then he will have many things stored up for years of eating, drinking, and making merry.
“You fool” is God's response to this man because that very night his life will be taken away. To whom will everything belong then, God asks. The rich man's world is small, just him and his possessions, and now he learns that he is to lose his life. What good are his possessions now? Jesus states the moral of the story. This is how it will be for everyone who stores up treasure for himself or herself but is not rich in what matters to God.
Centuries later St. Gregory the Great taught that when we care for the needs of the poor, we are giving them what is theirs, not ours. We are not just performing works of mercy; we are paying a debt of justice. Life does not consist in possessions but in sharing what we possess with others. The goods of the earth have been given to everyone.
Family Connection
Family life helps us learn about the values of solidarity and the common good. As a family, we strive to respect the rights of each family member and make decisions that promote the common good of the family. Talk about what it would be like if the family ordered a pizza and then divided it unevenly, with some members getting as many pieces as they wanted while others got only a half slice. Talk about how you work to make sure that everyone in the family has his or her fair share.
Talk about how your family is also a member of the human family, called to share the goods of creation fairly and justly. Explain that in this Sunday's Gospel, Jesus challenges us to remember that the goods of the world are intended to be shared by all. Read aloud Luke 12:13-21. Talk about the parable of the rich fool and ask family members to describe what they think he did wrong. Emphasize that although the man in the story doesn't seem bad, Jesus points out that this man's flaw was that he was thinking only about himself and his own comfort and security. Emphasize that when we fail to think about the needs of others, we call that a sin of omission.
Remind your children that each time we go to Mass, we ask forgiveness for what we have done and for what we have failed to do. We call this prayer the Confiteor. End this time together by praying the Confiteor (“I confess to almighty God…”).
Sources: Loyola Press; Sunday Readings
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