Gospel Reflection Aug 3 – Fr. Black
Sunday, August 3
Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Luke 12: 13-31
Gospel:
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.”
Gospel Reflection:
In today’s Gospel, Jesus warns the crowd of the dangers of greed. He tells them that one’s life does not consist of possessions. While we must make use of possessions in our everyday life, we cannot become overly attached to them. This attachment can quickly distract us from what is truly worthy and holy. Because earthly possessions are something that we can see and touch, we will often quickly become attached to them. Because God calls us to things that are not visible, it is trust that becomes the obstacle for us. It is easy to see our earthly possessions. The rewards God has for us, both earthly and heavenly, may not come quickly. They will, however, come most assuredly and will be greater than we can ever imagine.
Father James Black