THE WORD
FIRST READING: Eccl 1,2; 2,21-23
Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, vanity of vanities! All things are vanity. For here is one who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill, and that one’s legacy must be left to another who has not toiled for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.
For what profit comes to mortals from all the toil and anxiety of heart with which they toil under the sun? Every day sorrow and grief are their occupation; even at night their hearts are not at rest. This also is vanity.
SECOND READING: Col 3,1-5.9-11
If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory.
Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry. Stop lying to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed, for knowledge, in the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all and in all.
GOSPEL: 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
In many small rural barrios nowadays, one often sees a two-storey colorful bungalow standing imposingly beside lowly brown wooden huts at the sides. One may hear snide remarks like: “There are two owners of this house: the rightful one abroad and the caretaker at home.” This story has become commonplace and much emulated in the Philippines today, where more overseas Filipinos increasingly become citizens of other countries and earn comparably higher than their contemporaries back home. Many balikbayans return and build good-looking houses for themselves and their families. These summer houses are taken care of by relatives who have become their house employees.
Sometimes disagreements regarding land titles and house ownership ensue, especially when most legal owners spend more time overseas - and therefore mostly absent - and their caretakers become comfortable with their temporary residence and overtake practically its ownership.
Jesus faced this kind of problem, when someone asked him to become an arbitrator in an inheritance dispute (Lk 12:13-14). Jesus refused to be dragged into family politics. But he said, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.” (Lk 12:15) It is not easy to identify the greedy: the absent but legal owner or the resident squatter who maintains the house the whole time. The book of Ecclesiastes says it correctly: “One must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it.” (Ecc 2:21) The sharing of wealth is indeed one of the biggest challenges of social justice from biblical times until today. Although there is a saying “it is better to give than to receive”, those who will most likely agree to this aphorism are probably the receivers.
All of us, whether poor or rich, have received blessings from God, be it material or spiritual. The treasures we possess are gifts from God. We are only stewards. Being a caretaker allows us to detach ourselves from material things. These material possessions cannot possess us, because we can let go and be free. In a book entitled Stuffocation, James Wallman wrote about people being suffocated by the stuff they own. Instead of feeling happy and satisfied about their material possessions, many people feel anxious and stressed. They feel there is more to life than being a consumer and materialist. True and lasting happiness does not come from possessions rather from meaningful friendships and priceless experiences. This idea is not new. Jesus’ parable of the rich fool, who died before enjoying his wealth (Lk 12:16-21), is a warning about the vanity of keeping material things. Filipino migrants are called to share their blessings, so that their true happiness will increase.
- Fr. Simon Boiser, SVD | USC, Cebu City
The Word in other words 2016
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.
