EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
31 JULY 2022
We
have been hearing from Saint Paul’s letter to the Colossians. In that letter, he has been reminding them
(and us) of the implications of our baptism.
We have been buried with Christ in the waters of baptism. But we have emerged to share a new life with
Christ, intimately united with him and members of his Body, the Church. Today, he tells them (and us) not to be
complacent about our baptismal status.
We need to continue to live our baptismal promises. We do that best by seeking what is
above. Saint Paul uses the present
tense. In seeking what is above, we need
to think about what it means to be baptized into the Lord Jesus. We need to be intent on avoiding whatever
separates from Christ. We need to set
our mind on living the Gospel message and recognizing our baptismal unity. There is no “us” or “them” in Christ.
Jesus
addresses a danger that we fact in living our baptismal promises – the greed
that leads to idolatry. We can become so
immersed in ensuring a good life for our families and ourselves that we think
that the value of our lives rests in what we possess. In today’s Gospel, he is asked to resolve a
family quarrel about inheritance. It is
a quarrel that many of our families have had to resolve to this day.
He tells this parable about the
rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. The man regards his wealth as something he
has produced on his own. Instead of
being grateful to God for the abundance he enjoys, he asks himself what he
should do with his abundance. He does
not turn to God. He decides to tear down
his barns and build larger ones so that he can say to himself, “You have so
many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, and be
merry.” There is no evidence whatsoever
of sharing a portion of that wealth with others or setting some of it aside for
future generations. God demonstrates to
him what Qoheleth warns in that first reading from the Book of
Ecclesiastes: “vanity of vanities! All things are vanity.” The rich man discovers that his life is
vanity – a vapor, a breath, something short-lived and futile. Apart from God, human life means nothing.
Jesus
addresses this parable to us, disciples as we reflect on the implications of
our baptism. He reminds us that
everything is a gift from God. God gives
us our lives. If we prosper to provide
comfortable lives for our families and for ourselves, it is because God has
given us the opportunities and the skills to accomplish these things. Qoheleth points out that everything belongs
to God. We are stewards of all of those
gifts.
When we realize that we are
stewards, then we can avoid the mistakes of the rich man. We gather here every Sunday to give thanks to
God for all the gifts we have received.
At Mass, we express our gratitude for the sacrificial gift that Jesus
has given to us: the complete gift of
himself on the cross. As stewards, we
can commit to the stewardship of prayer, service, and sacrificial giving. Good stewards dedicate a generous portion of time,
talent, and treasure. We can renew our
trust that in giving away that portion, we are sharing in the dying of
Christ. But we can also renew our trust
that the Lord will provide and give us a share in his resurrection.
The rich man makes his decision out
of fear. He fears for his own safety and
quality of life. That fear can become
monstrous, because we all have an instinct to acquire more things. Jesus reminds us that an abundance of
possessions does not insure a good life.
We also know that acquiring more things simply leads to a greed that
centers everything on ourselves and ignores the legitimate needs of those who
are suffering. Qoheleth is correct. Life is a vapor – a vanity of vanities,
unless we live our baptismal promises and center ourselves on Jesus Christ and
our gratitude for all that he gives us in life.
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