What a waste of a life without God in it

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

                                       It-18-il Ħadd matul is-Sena                                  

Messalin C pp354

Reading 1      -          Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23

Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, vanity of vanities! All things are vanity! Here is one who has labored with wisdom and knowledge and skill, and yet to another who has not labored over it, he must leave property.  This also is vanity and a great misfortune.  For what profit comes to man from all the toil and anxiety of heart with which he has labored under the sun?  All his days sorrow and grief are his occupation; even at night his mind is not at rest.  This also is vanity. This is the Word of The Lord

L-Ewwel Lezzjoni  -  Qari mill-Ktieb ta' Qoħelet 1, 2; 2, 21-23)

O frugħa tal-frugħat, jgħid Qoħelet. O frugħa tal-frugħat!  Kollox frugħa!  Għax dan jiġri:  wieħed, li jkun ħadem bl-għaqal u l-ħila u b'suċċess, ikollu jgħaddi sehmu lil ħaddieħor li xejn ma tħabat għalih. Dan ukoll frugħa u ħaġa mill-agħar. Għax x'se jmissu l-bniedem mit-taħbit u  l-kedda li jkun  ħa taħt ix-xemx?  Għomru kollu jbati u jinħaqar bil-kedda u  lanqas billejl ma jserraħ rasu  Dan ukoll hu frugħa! Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm   -     PSALM 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14, 17

R. (1) If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
You turn man back to dust,
saying, “Return, O children of men.”
For a thousand years in your sight
are as yesterday, now that it is past,
or as a watch of the night.                           R/

You make an end of them in their sleep;
the next morning they are like the changing grass,
Which at dawn springs up anew,
but by evening wilts and fades.                     R/

Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants!                          R/

Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
And may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours;
prosper the work of our hands for us!
Prosper the work of our hands!                    R/

Salm Responsorjali    -   Salm 89 (90)

R/            Mulej, int kont għalina kenn minn nisel għal nisel.

Int traġġa' l-bnedmin lejn it-trab,

u tgħidilhom:  "Erġgħu lura, intom bnedmin!"

Elf sena huma għalik bħal jum ta' lbieraħ li għadda,

jew bħal sahra tal-lejl.                                               R/

Int  taħsadhom, u jsiru bħal ħolma.

Huma bħall-ħaxix li jinbet filgħodu;

filgħodu jwarrad u jħaddar,

filgħaxija jidbiel u jinxef.                                           R/

Għalhekk għallimna ngħoddu jiem ħajjitna,

sabiex aħna nimxu bil-għaqal.

Dur lejna, Mulej!  Kemm se ddum?

Ħenn għall-qaddejja tiegħek!                                       R/

Imliena kmieni bit-tjieba tigħek,

biex nifirħu u nithennew ħajjitna kollha.

Ħa tkun fuqna l-grazzja ta' Alla Sidna!

Wettqilna inti x-xogħol ta' idejna,

wettaq, iva, xogħol idejna.                                          R/

Reading 2       -    Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11

Brothers and sisters: If 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. This is the Word of The Lord.

It-Tieni Lezzjoni  -  Qari mill-Ittra lill-Kolossin 3, 1-5, 9-11

Ħuti, jekk intom irxuxtajtu ma' Kristu, fittxu l-ħwejjeġ tas-sema, fejn Kristu qiegħed fuq il-lemin ta' Alla.  Aħsbu fil-ħwejjeġ tas-sema,  mhux f'dawk tal-art.  Għax intom mittu, imma ħajjitkom hi  moħbija flimkien ma' Kristu f'Alla.   Meta jidher Kristu, li  hu l-ħajja tagħkom,  imbagħad intom ukoll tidhru flimkien miegħu fil-glorja. Mewtu ġo fikom dak kollu li hu tal-art: żina, faħx,  ġibdiet, xewqat ħżiena, u r-regħba li hi idolatrija. Tigdbux lil xulxin, intom li nżajtu l-bniedem  il-qadim bl-għemil kollu tiegħu, u lbistu  l-bniedem il-ġdid, li jiġġedded  dejjem skont  ix-xbieha ta' min ħalqu, u jikber fl-għerf. Fih  ma hemmx Grieg jew Lhudi, cirkonċiż jew mhux, Barabaru jew Skita, lsir jew ħieles,  iżda Kristu f'kollox u f'kulħadd. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel   -    Luke     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 all who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich in what matters to God.”  This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Evanġelju   -  Qari skont San Luqa 12, 13-21

F'dak iż-żmien, xi ħadd mill-folla qal lil Ġesu':"Mgħallem, għid lil ħija jaqsam il-wirt miegħi." Wieġbu Ġesu':  "Ħabib, min qegħedni mħallef fuqkom, jew qabbadni nqassmilkom il-ġid bejnietkom?" Imbagħad qal lin-nies:  "Iftħu għajnejkom u  ħarsu  rwieħkom minn kull rebgħa,  għax imqar jekk wieħed ikollu bir-radam,  ħajtu ma tiddepindix mill-ġid li kollu. U qalilhom parabbola:  "Wieħed  raġel għani  ġabar  kotra ta' frott mir-raba' tiegħu.    U beda jaħseb u jgħid bejnu u bejn ruħu: "X'se nagħmel?   Għax dan il-frott kollu ma għandix fejn naħżnu!   Ara x'nagħmel, " qal:  "inħott l-imħażen  li għandi u nibni  oħrajn akbar, u naħżen fihom il-qamħ u l-ġid kollu li għandi. Imbagħad ngħid lili nnifsi:  Ruħi, għandek ħażna kbira ta'  ġid għal bosta snin; mela strieħ, kul, ixrob, ixxala!"  Iżda qallu  Alla: "Iblaħ li int!  Dan il-lejl stess jitolbuk ruħek lura.  U l-ħwejjeġ li ħejjet għalik, ta' min ikunu?" Hekk jiġrilu min jiġma' l-ġid għalih innifsu bla  ma  jistagħna quddiem Alla.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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Commentary by:  Fr Thomas Rosica

Storing Up Treasures in Heaven

In Sunday’s Gospel, Luke (12:13-21) has joined together sayings that contrast those whose focus and trust in life is on material possessions, symbolized by the rich fool of the parable (12:16-21), with those who recognize their complete dependence on God (12:21), those whose radical detachment from material possessions symbolizes their heavenly treasure (12:33-34).

The subject of coveting or hoarding arises because of a request by someone in the crowd for Jesus to intervene in a matter of inheritance. Jesus refuses and turns the conversation into a lesson against materialism. This he illustrates with a story about a prosperous farmer who decides to hoard his excess crops. The rich man decides to build extra barns or grain silos. Jesus seems to be suggesting that the farmer should have shared his extra grain with the poor.

The craving to hoard not only puts goods in the place of God, but it is an act of total disregard for the needs of others.

The parable is not about the farmer’s mistreatment of workers or any criminal actions on his part. The farmer is, in the end, careful and conservative. So if he is not unjust, what is he? The parable says he is a fool. He lives completely for himself. He only talks to himself, plans for himself, and congratulates himself. His sudden death proves him to have lived as a fool. “For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?” (9:25)

Possessions and greed become more important than people. In other words, “possession fixation” destroys relationships. The man who interrupts Jesus’ teaching is unaware of his inappropriate intrusion. He cannot connect appropriately with his outer world because of the urgency of his inner world and personal needs.

Destructive power of possessions
Jesus uses this man’s “possession fixation” to talk about something that can harm the soul. The man’s family relationships are obviously in turmoil because of material possessions. Whoever depends solely on worldly goods will end up losing out, even though there may seem to be an appearance of success. Death will find that person with an abundance of possessions but having lived a wasted life (12:13-21).

To covet is to wish to get wrongfully what another possesses or to begrudge what God has given him or her. Jesus restates the commandment “do not covet,” but he also states that a person’s life does not consist of the abundance of his possessions. Jesus probes the heart – where is your treasure? Treasure has a special connection to the heart, the place of desire and longing, the place of will and focus. The thing we most set our heart on is our highest treasure.

Wealth and greed
In many societies, wealth is a sign of God’s approval, and poverty and hardship are the signs of God’s disapproval. Jesus does not say that being wealthy is wrong. True, Matthew, Mark, and Luke all report Jesus’ words, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God” (19:24; 10:25; 18:25). But Jesus does not say it is wrong to be rich. Greed is the real culprit. Greed can turn the blessings of wealth into the burden of desire for more. Jesus’ warning can properly be expressed as, “Be careful – very careful – that your possessions do not possess you. Life is not about things!”

Jesus’ parable is a distinct warning that greed can lead to a point where life’s meaning is reduced to material things. The driving force of living becomes a search for “more” – a search for “things.” Greed, in fact, breaks the commandment, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3) and hence the statement in Colossians 3:5 (today’s second reading): “Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry.”

Challenging the “prosperity gospel mentality”
The Gospel of Jesus challenges the “prosperity gospel mentality.” Jesus is not speaking against material wealth, but condemns being enslaved to and enchained by wealth. It becomes a blessing when it is shared with others, and it becomes an obstacle and a prison for those who do not have the wisdom to share it with others.

We are not owners but rather administrators of the goods we possess: these, then, are not to be considered as our exclusive possession, but means through which the Lord calls each one of us to act as a steward of his providence for our neighbour. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us, material goods bear a social value, according to the principle of their universal destination (#2404).

Storing up “treasures in heaven” does not mean setting out to secure a place in heaven. It means relying on God as the source of our security. It means having a genuine and sincere relation with God who knows us, accepts us, and gives meaning to our lives. It means having God as the singular object of our “heart.” It means being totally committed to seeking out God’s Kingdom, confident that God will provide us with what we truly need (Matthew 6:33). If we have the Lord as our “treasure,” then there is nothing more we need desire. We can forego everything else.

Showing one another the Lord’s kindness
Finally, let us make the words of St. Gregory Nazianzen our own this weekend:

“Brethren and friends, let us by no means be wicked stewards of God’s gift to us. If we are, we will have to listen to Saint Peter saying: Be ashamed, you who hold back what belongs to another, take as an example the justice of God, and no one will be poor.

“While others suffer poverty, let us not labour to hoard and pile up money, for if we do, holy Amos will threaten us sharply in these words: Hear this, you who say; Where will the new moon be over, that we may sell; and the Sabbath, that we may open up our treasures?

“Let us imitate the first and most important law of God who sends his rain on the just and on sinners and makes the sun shine on all men equally. God opens up the earth, the springs, the streams, and the woods to all who live in the world. He gives the air to the birds, the water to the fish, and the basic needs of life abundantly to all, without restriction or limitation or preference. These basic goods are common to all, provided by God generously and with nothing lacking. He has done this so that creatures of the same nature may receive equal gifts and that he may show us how rich is his kindness.”

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