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Luke 12:13-21
The story Jesus told sounds too real. A rich man had plenty and wanted more. He put all of his energy into his possessions. That night he died. God called him a fool. Wonder how many fools there are among us.
Consider how much of our time goes into accumulating wealth. Nest eggs, retirement funds, savings for university. We look to the future in hopes that we will not only have enough but extra. Everybody wants extra—then when we have too much and don’t fit in our homes we either build larger homes—larger barns or we have garage sales. Through the years we inevitably accumulate stuff. We buy things, people give us things, we win things. Some folks have a problem of not letting go. Go into some folks house and there’s not place to sit—piles can reach the ceiling. We can become possessed by that which we possess. Our life does not consist of possessions. Perhaps if we were to have nothing we would realize the real blessing of life. Refugees who loose everything—who come with nothing but their clothes are aware of the precious gift of life. Hundred cross our border—after thousands of miles of struggle—reaching safety they are happy to be alive. We can be proud of our Catholic Community who receives refugees everyday—feeds, clothes, and gives them basic necessities. Without a doubt, we take much for granted. What’s worse is the thought that we deserve what we have. Perhaps we’ve worked hard, maybe struggled to get where we are; yet, we deserve nothing. Everything is gift, beginning with our life. The gift that the rich man in the story took for granted. He was too busy paying attention to his possessions to pay attention to God.
When someone says, “I don’t have time to pray”—got to wonder what’s going on. We’re all have things to do. Problems come when our day is so full that we make no time for relationships. In trying to make a living we can forget how to live. Why are we working? Why do we bother to earn the money? Most of us would answer—“For our family”. However, if we have no time for our family because we are too busy working—what’s the use? Day care centers are crowded with toddlers who belong with their parents but both parents are working in order to pay for the two or three cars, the four-bedroom house and the electrical toys. We work to have more leisure time and then don’t know what to do with it.
The big craze is “Pokémon Go”. Causing great excitement—getting young people to go outside. Imagine—what a original idea. Not too long ago—that’s all there was—the outside. Mud cakes, hide and seek—playing doctor with the neighbors (that was my favorite—I was always the doctor.) Can be said that our imaginations were vivid because we didn’t have that many distractions. Transistor radios were the big invention. So look how far we have come—games that will take us back outside. Perhaps one day we will go outside without having to play a game—just to play with each other. Doesn’t take much effort to sit on a porch and talk; to throw a ball at a dog; to play catch with a child. Bike riding is making a comeback. Who knows—folks might even start walking the streets again. Just remember, this day will never happen again. If we are distracted by worries, regrets, the future—we might miss out on the moment. The moment is all that we have. Forget about building barns, we need to build relationships, especially in our family. We need to build our relationship with the Lord. He’s always waiting for us with open arms.
Real treasure is what we see in the faces of people. What matters to God is not expensive, but will last for all eternity. Real treasure is not hard to find.
The story Jesus told sounds too real. A rich man had plenty and wanted more. He put all of his energy into his possessions. That night he died. God called him a fool. Wonder how many fools there are among us.
Consider how much of our time goes into accumulating wealth. Nest eggs, retirement funds, savings for university. We look to the future in hopes that we will not only have enough but extra. Everybody wants extra—then when we have too much and don’t fit in our homes we either build larger homes—larger barns or we have garage sales. Through the years we inevitably accumulate stuff. We buy things, people give us things, we win things. Some folks have a problem of not letting go. Go into some folks house and there’s not place to sit—piles can reach the ceiling. We can become possessed by that which we possess. Our life does not consist of possessions. Perhaps if we were to have nothing we would realize the real blessing of life. Refugees who loose everything—who come with nothing but their clothes are aware of the precious gift of life. Hundred cross our border—after thousands of miles of struggle—reaching safety they are happy to be alive. We can be proud of our Catholic Community who receives refugees everyday—feeds, clothes, and gives them basic necessities. Without a doubt, we take much for granted. What’s worse is the thought that we deserve what we have. Perhaps we’ve worked hard, maybe struggled to get where we are; yet, we deserve nothing. Everything is gift, beginning with our life. The gift that the rich man in the story took for granted. He was too busy paying attention to his possessions to pay attention to God.
When someone says, “I don’t have time to pray”—got to wonder what’s going on. We’re all have things to do. Problems come when our day is so full that we make no time for relationships. In trying to make a living we can forget how to live. Why are we working? Why do we bother to earn the money? Most of us would answer—“For our family”. However, if we have no time for our family because we are too busy working—what’s the use? Day care centers are crowded with toddlers who belong with their parents but both parents are working in order to pay for the two or three cars, the four-bedroom house and the electrical toys. We work to have more leisure time and then don’t know what to do with it.
The big craze is “Pokémon Go”. Causing great excitement—getting young people to go outside. Imagine—what a original idea. Not too long ago—that’s all there was—the outside. Mud cakes, hide and seek—playing doctor with the neighbors (that was my favorite—I was always the doctor.) Can be said that our imaginations were vivid because we didn’t have that many distractions. Transistor radios were the big invention. So look how far we have come—games that will take us back outside. Perhaps one day we will go outside without having to play a game—just to play with each other. Doesn’t take much effort to sit on a porch and talk; to throw a ball at a dog; to play catch with a child. Bike riding is making a comeback. Who knows—folks might even start walking the streets again. Just remember, this day will never happen again. If we are distracted by worries, regrets, the future—we might miss out on the moment. The moment is all that we have. Forget about building barns, we need to build relationships, especially in our family. We need to build our relationship with the Lord. He’s always waiting for us with open arms.
Real treasure is what we see in the faces of people. What matters to God is not expensive, but will last for all eternity. Real treasure is not hard to find.
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