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Welcome to our daily encounter with the Word of God!
Today we reflect on the readings taken from the Book of Ecclesiastes (Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23), the Letter of St. Paul to the Colossians (Colossians 3:1-5,9-11), and the Gospel according to Luke (Luke 12:13-21). These passages invite us to look beyond earthly riches and seek the true treasure found in God.
First Reading (Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23):
The author of Ecclesiastes speaks about the vanity of human effort when focused solely on material gain. Even one who works with wisdom and dedication may leave everything behind, leading to restlessness and sorrow. It is a powerful reminder of the limitations of earthly goods and the emptiness of a life centered on possessions.
Second Reading (Colossians 3:1-5,9-11):
St. Paul exhorts us to seek what is above, where Christ is. He urges us to “put to death” what belongs to our earthly nature — impurity, greed, lies — and to put on the new self, renewed in the image of the Creator. This reading is a strong call to inner conversion and a reorientation of our desires toward what is eternal.
Gospel (Luke 12:13-21):
Jesus shares the parable of the rich man who stored up goods but neglected his soul. That very night his life was demanded of him. Through this, Jesus warns that life does not consist in an abundance of possessions, but in being rich in God’s eyes.
Reflection and Call to Conversion
Today's readings call us to a deep change of heart: to place our trust not in fleeting riches, but in God, who is our true treasure. May we live with wisdom, detachment, and generosity, always seeking the things above.
Share in the comments: What touched you most in today’s readings? Are you storing up treasures in heaven?
📖 Readings of the Day:
First Reading: Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23
Second Reading: Colossians 3:1-5,9-11
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0:04
[Music]
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Reading from the book of Ecclesiastes.
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Vanity of vanities says Ecclesiastes.
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Vanity of vanities. All is vanity. For
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example, a man who has worked with
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intelligence, skill, and success finds
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himself forced to leave everything as an
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inheritance to another who has
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contributed nothing. This too is vanity
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and a great disgrace. Indeed, what does
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a man have left of all the labor and
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care that wears him out under the sun?
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His whole life is suffering, his
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occupation torment. His heart does not
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rest even at night. This too is vanity.
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The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
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[Music]
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Reading from the letter of St. Paul to
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the Colossians. Brothers and sisters, if
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you have been raised with Christ, seek
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the things that are above, where Christ
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is seated at the right hand of God. Set
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your minds on the things that are in
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heaven, not on things that are on earth.
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For you died, and your life is hidden
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with Christ in God. When Christ your
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life appears in his triumph, then you
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also will appear with him in glory. Put
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to death therefore whatever belongs to
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the earth. Sexual immorality, impurity,
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lust, evil desires, and greed, which is
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idolatry. Do not lie to one another. You
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have put off the old self with its
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practices and have put on the new self,
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which is being renewed in the image of
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its creator and knowledge. There is no
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distinction between Greek and Jew,
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circumcised and uncircumcised,
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uneducated, uncivilized, slave and free.
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But Christ is all in all. Word of the
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Lord. Thanks be to God.
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[Music]
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Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus
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Christ according to St. Luke. Glory to
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you, Lord. At that time someone in the
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crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, tell my
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brother to divide the inheritance with
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me." Jesus answered, "Man, who appointed
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me to judge or to divide your property?"
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And he said to them, "Watch out, beware
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of all kinds of greed, for even if a
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person has many possessions, life does
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not consist in an abundance of
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possessions." And he told them a
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parable. The land of a rich man yielded
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a plentiful harvest. He thought to
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himself, "What shall I do? I have no
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place to store my crops." So he
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resolved, "I know what to do. I will
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tear down my barns and build bigger
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ones. In them, I will store all my grain
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along with my possessions." Then I will
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say to myself, "My friend, you have a
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good store of grain for many years. Take
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it easy. Eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.
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But God said to him, "You fool! This
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very night they will demand your life
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back. And whose will be the one you have
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stored up? So it is with those who store
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up treasures for themselves but are not
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rich toward God." Word of salvation.
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Glory to you, Lord.
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[Music]
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Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
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imagine for a moment a successful man
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wearing an impeccable suit sitting in
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his luxurious office on the top floor of
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a skyscraper. He contemplates his
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fortune, his properties, his
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investments. On the wall, diplomas and
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awards attest to his achievements. He
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should feel fulfilled, fulfilled,
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satisfied. But in the silence of his
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heart, a disturbing question echoes.
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What now? Is this it? Is this what I've
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lived my whole life for? This
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contemporary image connects us directly
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with the words of the wise man from
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Ecclesiastes that we heard today. Vanity
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of vanities. All is vanity. What a cry
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of existential despair. Here we have
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someone who has experienced everything
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life has to offer. wisdom, riches,
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pleasures and yet comes to the
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conclusion that everything is vapor
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smoke that dissipates. The author of
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Ecclesiastes is not being pessimistic by
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nature. He is making a profound
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observation about the human condition
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when we live only in the earthly
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horizontal dimension of existence. He
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speaks of the man who worked with
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wisdom, knowledge, and skill and asks,
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"What profit does a man have from all
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his labor and the worry he takes under
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the sun?" What a penetrating question.
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How many of us get up every morning,
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rush to work, strive, compete,
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accumulate, and rarely stop to question
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the real purpose of it all? Ecclesiastes
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is not condemning work or effort. He is
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questioning when these things become
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ends in themselves. when we lose sight
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of the deeper meaning of existence. By
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day, their labor is toil and trouble.
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Even at night, their heart is not at
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rest. What an accurate description of a
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life lived without transcendent purpose.
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It is the life of the hamster on a
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wheel, always running, always striving,
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but never getting anywhere. Paul in his
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letter to the Colossians offers a
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radical alternative to this empty
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existence. If then you were raised with
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Christ, he writes, seek the things that
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are above where Christ is seated at the
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right hand of God. What a powerful
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contrast. Instead of living only in the
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horizontal dimension, accumulating,
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competing, worrying only about the here
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and now, we are invited to a vertical
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eternal perspective. Set your minds on
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things that are above, not on things
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that are on earth.
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Paul is not calling us to a disembodied
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spirituality divorced from reality. He
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is inviting us to live with a
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transformed perspective where our
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identity and worth are not determined by
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our earthly possessions or
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accomplishments but by our union with
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Christ. And then Paul becomes more
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specific. Put to death therefore your
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earthly members. He lists vices that
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need to be eliminated. immorality,
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impurity, passion, evil desire, and
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greed, which is idolatry.
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Notice that greed, the insatiable
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pursuit of more is equated with
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idolatry. It is putting created things
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in the place of the creator. Paul
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continues, "Put off the old man with his
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deeds and put on the new man." This is
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not just a change in outward behavior,
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but a fundamental transformation of
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identity. We are no longer defined by
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our nationality, social class or
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economic status but by our identity in
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Christ. It is in this context that we
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come to today's gospel where Jesus tells
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the parable of the rich fool. A man
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approaches Jesus asking him to resolve a
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family dispute over inheritance. Jesus
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refuses to get involved in the legal
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issue but uses the opportunity to teach
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a profound lesson. Beware of all greed.
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For one's life does not consist in the
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abundance of one's possessions.
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What a revolutionary statement. In a
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culture obsessed with the accumulation
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of wealth and material possessions,
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Jesus declares that our lives, our
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worth, our identity are not determined
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by what we possess. It is a message that
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urgently needs to be heard in our time.
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Jesus then tells the story of a man
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whose land produced an abundant harvest.
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Instead of seeing this as an opportunity
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to be generous or to help those in need,
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he thinks only of himself. What shall I
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do? I have no place to store my harvest.
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Note the language this man uses. My
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harvest, my barns, my possessions.
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Everything is mine. He fails to
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recognize that everything we have is
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ultimately a gift from God. He fails to
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consider his responsibility to the
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community or to those less fortunate.
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His solution is to build larger barns to
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store everything for himself. And then
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he addresses his soul. Soul, you have
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much goods laid up for many years. Take
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your ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
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What a tragedy. He confuses his soul
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with his stomach, reducing his existence
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to a purely material level. But God
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intervenes with words that should make
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us reflect deeply. You fool. This night
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your soul will be required of you. And
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whose will those things be which you
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have prepared? What a moment of
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devastating clarity. All accumulation,
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all selfish planning, all material
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concerns prove feudal in the face of the
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reality of death. Man spends his entire
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life accumulating treasures he cannot
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take with him and neglects what truly
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matters. Jesus concludes with a lesson
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that goes to the heart of the matter. So
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it is with those who store up treasures
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for themselves but are not rich toward
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God. My dear brothers and sisters, these
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readings confront us with a fundamental
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question. How are we living our lives?
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Are we trapped on the hamster wheel
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chasing things that in the end are
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merely vanity of vanities?
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Or are we living with an eternal
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perspective seeking the things above?
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Make no mistake, Jesus is not condemning
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honest work or financial responsibility.
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He is questioning when these things
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become our obsession, when we define our
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worth and identity by them, when they
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make us selfish and insensitive to the
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needs of others. True wealth, Jesus
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teaches us, is not in how much we
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accumulate for ourselves, but in how
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rich we are before God. And how do we
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become rich before God? through
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generosity, compassion, service to
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others, the pursuit of justice, and the
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cultivation of our spiritual life.
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Imagine for a moment what it would be
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like if each of us lived with this
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perspective. Instead of asking
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ourselves, "How much can I accumulate?"
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We asked ourselves, "How can I use what
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I have to bless others?" Instead of
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building bigger barns for our own
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comfort, we built bridges of solidarity
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and compassion in our community. Think
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about your everyday lives. At work,
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instead of just seeking promotions and
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raises, how can we be instruments of
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integrity and justice in our families?
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Instead of just providing material
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goods, how can we invest in deep
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relationships and lasting values? In our
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community, instead of just accumulating
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for our own social group, how can we
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extend our generosity to the
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marginalized and needy? The challenge of
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today's readings is not for us to
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abandon all our earthly responsibilities
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and live like hermits. It is for us to
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transform our perspective to seek the
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things above even while fulfilling our
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earthly duties. Remember Paul's words,
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you have been raised with Christ. This
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means you are no longer bound by the
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limitations and obsessions of the old
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self. You have a new identity, a new
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purpose, a new perspective. This
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transformation does not happen
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overnight. It is an ongoing process of
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putting off the old self and putting on
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the new self. It requires daily prayer,
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reflection on God's word, active
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participation in the community of faith,
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and conscious decisions to live
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according to the values of the kingdom
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of God. Perhaps today you identify with
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a man at the beginning of this homaly,
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successful on the outside, but
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questioning the meaning of everything.
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Or perhaps you see yourself in the rich
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man in the parable, so focused on
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accumulating wealth that he forgot to
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truly live. Or perhaps you resonate with
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the cry of Ecclesiastes,
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vanity of vanities, feeling that life is
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merely a succession of meaningless
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activities. The good news is that Jesus
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offers an alternative. He invites us to
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a life of transcendent meaning, where
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our identity is not determined by what
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we possess, but by who we are in
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relation to God. a life where we can
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find true purpose in serving others and
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seeking the kingdom of God. So today,
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make a choice. Choose to seek the things
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above. Choose to be rich in the sight of
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God. Choose to live not only for the
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present moment, but with a perspective
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of eternity. And when you reach the end
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of your lives, may you not have to face
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the terrible question, whose will those
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things be that you have prepared? But
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may you hear the master's sweet words.
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Well done, good and faithful servant.
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You have been faithful with a few
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things. I will set you over many things.
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Come and share in the joy of your Lord.
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May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
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the love of God the Father, and the
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fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with
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you all today and always. Amen.
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[Music]
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St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in
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battle. Be our protection against the
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wickedness and snares of the devil. May
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God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And do
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thou, O prince of the heavenly host by
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the power of God, cast into hell Satan
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and all the evil spirits who prowl
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throughout the world seeking the ruin of
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souls. Amen.
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[Music]