August 1^st, 2016 Sunday homily  –Fr.Francis Chirackal CMI

Eccl 1:2,2:21-23; Col 3:1-5, 9-11; Lk 12:13-21

For Readings:

http://www.usccb.org/nab/080116.shtml

Barbara Goldsmith in ‘The Daily Beast’ on January 23^rd, 2009 has given an article with the title ‘What the Richest Men in the World Don't Know’. In that article she tells of nine wealthiest financiers of 1923. As she says, the best way to learn financial ethics is to study the lives of these nine wealthiest financiers. A quarter-century later, they were all either dead, bankrupt, broke, or in prison. Charles M. Schwab died bankrupt; Samuel Insull, Arthur Cutten, died penniless; Howard Hobson, had gone insane, Richard Whitney, Albert Fall were just released from prison; Jesse Livermore, Leon Fraser, Ivar Kruegar, died a suicide. Certainly we must admit that it was a group of the world’s most outstanding men who had solved the secret of making money. Twenty-five years later, we saw what happened to these men. Jesus in today’s gospel says that ‘a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions’.

The first reading from the book of Ecclesiastes, tells us that we are put here for a short period of time during which, if we use our days properly, we can earn for ourselves a joyful new life forever. St.Paul in the second reading, tells us to keep our eyes on the Christ with whom we have been raised up to a new spiritual level and should keep ourselves away from sinful things of the earth.

Jesus in today’s gospel says that true life does not consist in having abundance of possessions but in being rich in the sight of God. Jesus understood our yearning for security, and in his “parable of the foolish rich man”, He wished to put that yearning in proper perspective. Jesus doesn't fault the rich man on his agricultural acumen, but on his independent attitude. Looking at the harvest he says, "And I'll say to myself, 'You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy, eat, drink and be merry.' " The man actually believes that his riches will now insulate his life from hardship. He gives no place to God in his life. The man's focus is merely on goods rather than God.

With all his possessions comfortably laid away, the rich farmer obviously thinks he has security. He finds himself a successful man in life, capable of controlling his life and future situations. But God calls him a fool. What went wrong here? There is no sign that he was dishonest or that he cheated anyone. After he spoke to himself God says, “This very night your life will be demanded from you." The idea here is that our life is not in our own hands, but in God's hands. He is in charge, and He can demand our lives at any moment He chooses. Everything we have been given is a gift to be used to serve God. It is not a permanent possession of ours, but it belongs to Him. Our talents, our abilities, our family position -- all these are gifts from God. If we use them to serve Him and to glorify His Name, we use them rightly. Unfortunately the rich man's focus was on himself, not on God. And so God chose that night to take back what belonged to Him in the first place.

Love of earthly possessions, and the never-ending desire for more of them, only do us harm in the long run. Jesus wants to respond to our instinct for security. He wants us to use it, however, to work for eternal life by becoming “rich in the sight of God.” Of course, our earthly possessions are indeed gifts from God, resources over which He wants us to be good stewards. If God blesses us with an abundance of earthly goods, we should be grateful to the Lord and strive to use them in ways that best serve Him and others. As we take steps toward becoming “rich toward God” in this way, we also open our hearts more to Jesus’ love and allow His Holy Spirit to fill us with more and more of the treasures of the Kingdom.

How do you become rich toward God? In 1Thimothy 6:17-19 we see a contrast between laying up treasures in heaven vs. laying up treasures for ourselves. It says, "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life."

Let us pray for grace to be free from greed and grow in our trust in God. Let us plan our life with God, seeking His will and make our life joyful and eternal in God.