29th Week in Ord. Time, Monday – 17th October 2022 — Gospel: Lk 12,13-21
Greed Digs Emptiness
One of Jesus’ listeners requests him to step into a family dispute about an inheritance. Jesus takes the occasion to teach about the danger of focusing on material wealth. He warns them about greed, and he stresses that “life does not consist in the abundance of possessions”. Jesus reinforces his teaching with a parable about possessions. The parable is full of the pronoun “I”, and the man’s wealth is described as “my crops,”, “my barns”, “my grain”, and “my goods”. There is no evidence that the rich man was dishonest or corrupt. However, his future perspective is self-centred and self-indulgent. With no thought of his responsibilities before God or the needs of others, the rich man’s security is fleeting. His wealth cannot give refuge and his greed leaves him empty when God demands his life. A truly rich life is one oriented towards God and focused on his will.
