Our wealth lies in God

« Sunday, August 3 »

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (C) Lectionary: 114

 It-Tmintax-il Ħadd taż-Żmien ta’ Matul is-Sena (Ċ)

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 laboured with wisdom and knowledge and skill, and yet to another who has not laboured 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 laboured 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.

Qari I       mill-Ktieb ta’ Qoħelet 1, 2; 2, 21-23

O frugħa tal-frugħat, jgħid Qoħèlet. 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 and 17

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. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

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. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

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. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

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. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Salm Responsorjali       Salm 89 (90), 3-4.5-6. 12-13. 14 u 17

R/. (1): 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 tiegħek,

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      Col 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.

Qari II      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: żína, 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, ċirkonċiż jew mhux, Barbaru jew Skita, ilsir 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.”

Evanġelju       Qari skont San Luqa Lq 12, 13-21

F’dak iż-żmien, xi ħadd mill-folla qal lil Ġesù: “Mgħallem, għid lil ħija jaqsam il-wirt miegħi”. Wieġbu Ġesù: “Ħabib, min qegħedni mħallef fuqkom, jew qabbadni nqassmilkom il-ġid bejnietkom?”. Imbagħad qal lin-nies: “Iftħu għajnejkom u ħarsu rwieħkom minn kull regħba, għax imqar jekk wieħed ikollu bir-radam, ħajtu ma tiddependix mill-ġid li jkollu”. 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: “Iblah li int! Dan il-lejl stess jitolbuk ruħek lura. U l-ħwejjeġ li ħejjejt għalik, ta’ min ikunu?”. Hekk jiġrilu min jiġma’ l-ġid għalih innifsu bla ma jistagħna quddiem Alla”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel reflection:

What do you store up for?

Since our encounter with Jesus last week where He gave us the “our Father,” a prayer which is distinctive to Christians, He has driven a demon out of a mute man and has been accused of using the power of Beelzebul, has taught several parables and pronounced six woes on the Pharisees. During this time, a crowd of many thousands has gathered and Jesus is now teaching them.

What we hear this Sunday is the parable of the rich fool, a parable which is found only in the Gospel of Luke.  Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” The Mishnah (the first section of the Talmud, comprising a collection of early oral interpretations of the scriptures as compiled about A.D. 200) has a section on inheritance (Numbers 27:1-11; Deuteronomy 21:15ff.), to guide the rabbis when they were consulted. Jesus avoids family disputes over money. He instead points out the deleterious effects possessions can have on disciples.

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.” Part of the polemic against false teachers was that they were greedy. He now warns His disciples about the futility of seeking refuge from opposition by amassing 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?’

Note how frequently in this parable the rich fool uses “I” and “my.” His egotistical concerns eliminate God and neighbour from sight. It is lawful for a person to want to own what he needs for living, but if possession of material resources becomes an absolute, it spells the ultimate destruction of the individual and of society.

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?’ The death of the individual is a time of reckoning. With this punch line, the hearers are forced to ask the basic question: “What is life all about?”

Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God. The answer to the question is: “Find the meaning in life by acknowledging God and giving alms to the needy.”

In his Adversus Antigonum, Saint Athanasius (ca. A.D. 320-360), explained it this way:  “A person who lives as if he were to die every day – given that our life is uncertain by definition – will not sin, for good fear extinguishes most of the disorder of our appetites; whereas he who thinks he has a long life ahead of him will easily let himself be dominated by pleasures.”

///////// (St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, www.scborromeo.org)   ////////////////