THE WORD
Rom 4: 20–25 / Lk 12: 13–21
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 the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God.”
IN OTHER WORDS
The year 2013 was a year of great revelations about the corruption that has been plaguing the Philippines through the years. More appalling was the fact that those purportedly involved are lawmakers and people in the government to whom the public has given its trust. I cannot but shake my head in disbelief and groan loudly at this unconscionable raiding of the public funds which come from the hard-earned money of taxpayers. Although I am not necessarily condemning at this point the accused as already guilty, still the unimaginable amounts involved and the people suspected of involvement could not but lead me to ask if avarice and greed have not become the order of the day. Seemingly, many people have failed to look beyond the things that the world offers and would exchange the fleeting pleasures of wealth, power and fame for the eternal life that awaits all of us.
Today’s parable is a very sharp attack on people who are more than willing to be ruled by the evils of greed, avarice and crass materialism. In the last analysis, this is a very deep form of selfishness because this all boils down to thinking of one’s own interest, one’s pleasure, one’s benefit, while utterly disregarding others’ benefit and interest. It will always be worthwhile to ask oneself what are those that one owns that prevent him/her from seeing the needs of others. What are those that have become obstacles in our ability to respond to the greater calls of love, selflessness and compassion?
- Emmanuel Menguito, SVD (CKMS, QC)
The Word in other words 2015
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
