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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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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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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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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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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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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
