Eighteenth Sunday - 2019

Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me."  But he said to him, "Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?"  And he said to them, "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions."   Then he told them a parable: "The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, "What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?'  Then he said, "I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.  And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.'  But God said to him, "You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?'  So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God." * * * * * *  The man in gospel finds himself overflowing with good fortune. An abundant harvest is a blessing from God, something every farmer prays for, indeed what all pray for. The problem here is not with harvest or the need for new barns, rather what happens in his heart. It changes him, blinds him to his true purpose in life and becomes the god he servers. Listen to his words ….. and I shall say to myself, now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, relax, eat, drink, be merry!” His problem is forgetting why he’s here, the true purpose of his life, what God he should be serving. Why am I here is the first question in the catechism: – to know, love and serve God. To use our allotted time to create a harvest of good works. The Gospel ends with that well known truth – “you can’t take it with you.” Materials things no, but there is something we do take with us; as the farewell blessing in funeral liturgy says, “Let them rest from their labours, for their good deeds go with them.” Remember these words … “For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Mtt.25:35. I thought of Mother Teresa on her moving day when packing up to return to the Father’s House, how many truckloads it would take to bring with her all her good deeds done. * * * * * * THE IMITATION OF CHRIST – Thomas a Kempis The First Chapter IMITATING CHRIST AND DESPISING ALL VANITIES ON EARTH HE WHO follows Me, walks not in darkness," says the Lord. By these words of Christ we are advised to imitate His life and habits, if we wish to be truly enlightened and free from all blindness of heart. Let our chief effort; therefore, be to study the life of Jesus Christ. The teaching of Christ is more excellent than all the advice of the saints, and he who has His spirit will find in it a hidden manna. Now, there are many who hear the Gospel often but care little for it because they have not the spirit of Christ. Yet whoever wishes to understand fully the words of Christ must try to pattern his whole life on that of Christ. What good does it do to speak learnedly about the Trinity if, lacking humility, you displease the Trinity? Indeed it is not learning that makes a man holy and just, but a virtuous life makes him pleasing to God. I would rather feel contrition than know how to define it. For what would it profit us to know the whole Bible by heart and the principles of all the philosophers if we live without grace and the love of God? Vanity of vanities and all is vanity, except to love God and serve Him alone. This is the greatest wisdom -- to seek the kingdom of heaven through contempt of the world. It is vanity, therefore, to seek and trust in riches that perish. It is vanity also to court honor and to be puffed up with pride. It is vanity to follow the lusts of the body and to desire things for which severe punishment later must come. It is vanity to wish for long life and to care little about a well-spent life. It is vanity to be concerned with the present only and not to make provision for things to come. It is vanity to love what passes quickly and not to look ahead where eternal joy abides. Often recall the proverb: "The eye is not satisfied with seeing nor the ear filled with hearing." Try, moreover, to turn your heart from the love of things visible and bring yourself to things invisible. For they who follow their own evil passions stain their consciences and lose the grace of God. * * * * * *  First Reading for this Sunday - Ecclesiastes  1:2; 2:21-23 “Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, vanity of vanities!   All things are vanity!” (Here is a link to an excellent video reflecting on this passage.) https://youtu.be/qWoPKMft2C4

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