“You fool: tonight your life will be required of you.”
Somewhere tonight, someone's eyes will close upon this world for the last time.
You may have heard about the retired Father Hamel, a French priest who, much like our Father Kleinstuber and other elderly priests do, was offering Mass for a pastor away on vacation when radical Islamists raided his church and slit his throat as he was in the act of offering Mass at the altar. We can be pretty certain he had no idea that would be his final day, and that he would die as a martyr for the hatred of the Faith, as he prepared to offer his final Mass that morning.
You may have heard about the retired Father Hamel, a French priest who, much like our Father Kleinstuber and other elderly priests do, was offering Mass for a pastor away on vacation when radical Islamists raided his church and slit his throat as he was in the act of offering Mass at the altar. We can be pretty certain he had no idea that would be his final day, and that he would die as a martyr for the hatred of the Faith, as he prepared to offer his final Mass that morning.
It is much the same with all of us.
So this Gospel perhaps does not speak so powerfully to us. Why do we need to hear such dire words of impending doom? The context will help us: someone in the crowd has asked Jesus to take his part in a fight with his brother over their worldly inheritance.
He then turns to the group, and to us, and says,
“Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.”
The ugliness of family feuds over inheritance afflicts people throughout time. It arises from greed which is sinful because it violates the tenth commandment:
“The tenth commandment forbids greed and the desire to amass earthly goods without limit. It forbids avarice arising from a passion for riches and their attendant power. It also forbids the desire to commit injustice by harming our neighbor in his temporal goods:
“When the Law says, ‘You shall not covet,’ these words mean that we should banish our desires for whatever does not belong to us. Our thirst for another's goods is immense, infinite, never quenched. Thus it is written: "He who loves money never has money enough.”
(CCC 2536)
But greed also amounts to false worship: giving undue importance to something that will not last.
But greed also amounts to false worship: giving undue importance to something that will not last.
We will last: we have a destiny that persists beyond this world and all that it has to offer. Because we are made in God’s image and likeness we have a soul that like God will last forever.
This is why Jesus points out to us that there is another kind of treasure, one which will last. He urges us to “lay up this treasure in heaven for yourselves” which thieves cannot break in and steal, nor rust nor moths destroy.
One of the ways we lay up treasure in God’s sight is by sharing this world’s goods with others. Many of you faithfully support this community of faith with your time, talent and treasure. You know that your blessing for this generous charity comes from God, who only can reward us as we need.
Yes, wisdom means using this world's goods to build ourselves and others up, in charity to support our families, the poor and the Church but, more than anything else, to practice detachment in their regard to help us to finally say goodbye to all these things that will come to an end and that we cannot take with us.
But more than this, we have an eternal destiny for which we must strive every day of our lives. Only Jesus Christ can help us in this, both with his teaching as in our Gospel this evening and in the grace of the Eucharist we will receive so that He Himself is our foretaste by grace of heaven on earth.
You fool: tonight your life will be required of you.”
Somewhere tonight, someone eyes will close upon this world for the last time. You may have heard about the retired Father Hamel, a French priest who, much like Father Kleinstuber and others, was offering Mass for a pastor away on vacation when radical Islamists raided his church and slit his throat as he was in the act of offering Mass at the altar. We can be pretty certain he had no idea that would be his final day and that he would die as a martyr for the hatred of the Faith, as he prepared to offer his final Mass that morning.
It is much the same with all of us.
In all likelihood it will not be anyone of us here. Thank the lord, as I do, that all of you are in such a state of health hat you are able to be here; to come to our parish church for the holy Mass, to anticipate the Lord’s Day tomorrow and to begin your efforts to keep it holy. Some of our parishioners, as you know, do not share such good health and I must visit them at home to bring them Christ in the Holy Eucharist and in my person as a representative the presence of His Body the Church.
So this Gospel perhaps does not speak so powerfully to us. Why do we need to hear such dire words of impending doom? The context will help us: someone in the crowd has asked Jesus to take his part in a fight with his brother over their worldly inheritance.
He then turns to the group, and to us, and says,
“Take care to guard against all greed,
for though one may be rich,
one’s life does not consist of possessions.”
for though one may be rich,
one’s life does not consist of possessions.”
The ugliness of family feuds over inheritance afflicts people throughout time. It arises from greed which is sinful because it violates the tenth commandment:
2536 The tenth commandment forbids greed and the desire to amass earthly goods without limit. It forbids avarice arising from a passion for riches and their attendant power. It also forbids the desire to commit injustice by harming our neighbor in his temporal goods:
When the Law says, "You shall not covet," these words mean that we should banish our desires for whatever does not belong to us. Our thirst for another's goods is immense, infinite, never quenched. Thus it is written: "He who loves money never has money enough.
But greed also amounts to false worship: giving undue importance to something that will not last.
We will last: we have a destiny that persists behind this world and all that it has to offer. Because we are made in God’s image and likeness we have a soul that life God will last forever.
This is why Jesus points out ti us that there is another kind of treasure: that which will last. He urges us to “lay up this treasure in heaven for ourselves” which thieves cannot break in and steal, nor rust nor moths destroy.
One of the ways we lay up treasure in God’s sight is by sharing this world’s goods with others. Many of you faithfully support this community of faith with your time, talent and treasure. You know that your blessing for this generous charity comes from God, who only can reward us as we need.
But more than this, we have an eternal destiny for which we must strive every day of our lives. Only Jesus Christ can help us in this, both with his teaching as in our Gospel this evening and in the grace of the Eucharist we will receive so that He Himself is our foretaste by grace of heaven on earth.
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