Does Bigger & Better Matter?

Monday of the Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time    

The Parable of the Rich Fool -
Gospel of Luke 12:13-21

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 the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God."

Throughout the New Testament, Jesus warns us against greed and focusing importance on our possessions.  In this parable, a rich man decides to tear down his small barns and build bigger barns to store all of his harvest.  He plans to "rest, eat, drink, be merry" since he'll possess amply amounts of grain. Did he not understand his harvest could be spoiled by insects and decay?  Did he not think about how his grain could feed the poor, the widow and the orphan?  Did it not occur to him that a natural disaster may destroy his barn and the precious grain inside?

This man values possessions over anything else as if he's a modern-day hoarder, accumulating piles of grain for no other purpose than to appear "rich" but not necessarily wise in important matters.....

This old foolish man will one day die.  Will all of the grain he stored up grant him admission into heaven?  Not exactly!  Rich in possessions doesn't matter to God.  What matters is storing up the treasures of faith, hope, love, and charity. God wants us to share our gifts and talents with one another but not with greedy intentions.  God wants us to be thankful for our blessings but not necessarily think bigger is better.

Some questions to ponder after reading this gospel :

Is having a lot of money my only goal in life?
Do I value my possessions over people?  
Do I allow material goods to over-consume me?  
Do I treat my possessions as if they were gods?  
Am I in debt buying things I cannot afford?

Let's focus on the richness God can provide in more important matters:  faith, love & charity.

-J.