First Reading: Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23 Responsorial: Psalm 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14, 17 Second Reading: Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11 Gospel Passage: Luke 12:13-21
Time by Msgr. Richard Henning
The first reading and the gospel passage for this Sunday are well paired. Both teach of the foolishness of greed and materialism.
The first reading is taken from Ecclesiastes, a work was composed by an unknown Jewish thinker around the Third Century B. C. Unlike books which relate part of Israel’s history or interpret its laws and traditions, the Book of Ecclesiastes ruminates on the meaning of life. In this passage, the author considers the leveling power of death and asserts the passing nature of all things. How foolish to toil for a lifetime to accumulate possessions that will only pass to a potentially ungrateful and lazy heir. The author does not deny that people should work reasonably to support themselves, but he warns against hoarding and luxury and believes that obsessing about material wealth can waste the gift of life.
Psalm 90 offers a similar clear-headed and realistic perspective on life. The Psalmist does not hesitate to pray that the Lord “prosper the work of our hands.” In this, he does not deny the importance of laboring to support ourselves and our families. But he also speaks of the most precious gift of God- that of time- and reminds us of the brevity of our days. The message is one of perspective- with so little time to squander we must remain focused on the eternal; upon God and the wisdom that God alone can impart.
The letter to the Colossians offers a list of vices to be avoided by the Christian community, followed by an exhortation to virtuous living. The vices and virtues spoken of here are not unique to Christianity; ancient philosophy called upon people to do likewise. But this Christian letter places the summons to virtue in a different context. Christians, who live between the life death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus and his coming return in glory, have particular reason to live with new possibilities. Their knowledge of Christ is the context for their reform and virtuous living. They have the example of Christ and the Spirit of Christ to guide them and empower them. As Christ died for their sins, they can die to sin and arise to a new life. This context also imparts urgency to their call. Their rebirth as individuals and as a new, holistic, community is made all the more urgent by the promised return of the Lord. Their new living will prepare them for the new, eternal, life that will come with Christ’s return in glory.
In the passage from Luke, Jesus addresses the danger of greed with a parable of a man who foolishly spends his life in the accumulation of great material wealth, only to find in death that his obsession has been meaningless. There are several dimensions to this brief but dense parable. First, notice the waste of accumulating so much more wealth than any man or family could possibly need or use. And his wealth remains locked away in storage, of no real benefit to anyone. Notice also the self-centered nature of the man’s language in the parable. Repeatedly, he utters the words “I” and “my.” Not only is such language selfish towards other people, it ignores God who is the origin of all. The man has forgotten his debt to God and his helplessness without God. He has forgotten the wise counsel of Ecclesiastes and Psalm 90 and wasted his time and energy in the useless accumulation of passing material wealth.
The man’s choice to seek the passing rather than the eternal also contrasts with the choice of Jesus. At this point in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus has already begun his journey towards Jerusalem and his destiny to suffer and die. This man who has ministered unselfishly with no home and no wealth goes willingly to an early death, spending the wealth of his time and his life’s blood for the sake of others.
Whether we are wealthy, poor, or somewhere in between, these passages challenge us to the proper perspective in life. The world and our own nature may try to draw us into the trap of materialism. But the promises of materialism, like cheese in a mousetrap, offer momentary delight and permanent doom, a terrible waste of our lives. Eternal life beckons those who remember their dependence upon God and recognize the most valuable gift, time, and use their time virtuously, generously, and unselfishly.
