The Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

“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.”

The foolishness of the rich man is not so much in the building of bigger barns to store his excess grain, but rather on the reason he builds the bigger barns. He does not build them because we wants to avoid wasting his good harvest, but rather he decides to build them because he wants to “rest, eat, drink, and be merry.” Instead of using the bountiful harvest to better himself, his lands, or his workers, he plans to use it on selfish pursuits and as an excuse to be lazy. God doesn’t give us gifts and talents to hoard them or use them to make our lives easier. He gives them to us to multiply them, to share with others, and thereby give glory to Him. We cannot do that if we store up our gifts and only use them for our personal enjoyment.

Are we storing up treasures for ourselves on earth? Or are we doing everything we can to multiply the bountiful harvests of graces that God has given us? How can we become rich in what matters, namely knowing, loving, and serving God and His children?

O Lord, inspire us to use the graces you’ve given us to store up heavenly merits rather than earthly treasures.

Amen.