Give

Today’s Gospel Text:  One of the multitude said to him, "Teacher, bid my brother divide the inheritance with me." 14 But he said to him, "Man, who made me a judge or divider over you?" 15 And he said to them, "Take heed, and beware of all covetousness; for a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." 16 And he told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man brought forth plentifully; 17 and he thought to himself, 'What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?' 18 And he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns, and build larger ones; and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.' 20 But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' 21 So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." Luke 12:13-21

Reflection: It is in the very nature of man to produce treasures through the primary use of his faculties and gifts which God has blessed him with.

The scriptures are never against producing treasures and even enjoying the fruits thereof, if done in the right manner and with due respect for the laws of God which is even manifested in nature.

In fact man reaches his full maturity or potential when he is legitimately involved with the created world, with his abilities and talents, in union with God.

But when ambition, greed, envy and lusts take over than this activity turns to competition and accumulation.

Be it the accumulation of fame, power, wealth, knowledge and human resources these can lead humans into to ever deeper pits of a non gratified state.  

It only leads to an increased greed to have and posses; the more one has the more one seeks to possess and the cycle rarely ends.

At the same time the deep desire in the human heart to fill that vacuum which makes him seek and want to can never be satisfied by things which does not promote his own good in keeping with his nature.

Just as one can’t fully do justice to the self by living on junk food nor can you cover yourself completely with fig leaves similarly human nature cannot live up to its full potential by any worldly possessions.

Yet every human being is guilty of this sin of possessing more than what he or she requires, with some the gravity of this sin far exceeds the limits of sanity.

Since the desire exists in every human being it cannot be suppressed because to have is in the very nature of man and this is where Jesus fill the need by his total giving for us on the cross.

We are called to seek this Jesus who not only satisfies us but also helps us to be more generous in our giving and thus prove our faith in his providence.

Prayer:  One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple. Ps 27:4

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