MONDAY OF THE TWENTY-NINTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME-Gospel (Lk 12:13-21) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

“You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?” (Lk 12:20)

FIRST READING - EPH 2:1-10

A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians

Brothers and sisters:

You were dead in your transgressions and sins

in which you once lived following the age of this world,

following the ruler of the power of the air,

the spirit that is now at work in the disobedient.

All of us once lived among them in the desires of our flesh,

following the wishes of the flesh and the impulses,

and we were by nature children of wrath, like the rest.

But God, who is rich in mercy,

because of the great love he had for us,

even when we were dead in our transgressions,

brought us to life with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

raised us up with him,

and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus,

that in the ages to come

he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace

in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

For by grace you have been saved through faith,

and this is not from you; it is the gift of God;

it is not from works, so no one may boast.

For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for good works

that God has prepared in advance,

that we should live in them.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY - LK 12:13-21

From the Gospel according to Luke

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus,

“Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.”

He replied to him,

“Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?”

Then he said to the crowd,

“Take care to guard against all greed,

for though one may be rich,

one’s life does not consist of possessions.”

Then he told them a parable.

“There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest.

He asked himself, ‘What shall I do,

for I do not have space to store my harvest?’

And he said, ‘This is what I shall do:

I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones.

There I shall store all my grain and other goods

and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you,

you have so many good things stored up for many years,

rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’

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.”

MONDAY OF THE TWENTY-NINTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME-Gospel (Lk 12:13-21)

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

Dear People of God,

In today's Word of God, Jesus talks about the parable of the rich man who only cares about accumulating wealth for himself on earth. He uses this parable to help people know how to discern so that they can make the right and wise choice, which is: between accumulating the wealth of the Kingdom of Heaven, and accumulating worldly wealth, which is the most important for each person's spiritual life?

Jesus came to earth to teach and help people have a life of eternal happiness in the eternal Kingdom of Heaven in the future. Therefore, in today's Gospel, when the young man asked Jesus to judge the division of property between their two brothers, Jesus answered: He did not come to judge the property of the world, but He came to help people escape from the captivity of Satan, escape from the desire for material goods of this world.

Then, He gave a parable about the rich man who only cared about accumulating a lot of material goods to ensure his life. He thought: now he has an excess of material goods, so he should just enjoy himself and enjoy the pleasures of this world! And he was wrong. Jesus' words to the rich man are also a warning to those who are only concerned with accumulating material goods to enjoy in this life: "‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’"

God is the God of love. He wants to call and guide people to eternal life in the future, which is the spiritual life in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Therefore, today God calls on everyone:

Aim for the eternal life of the Kingdom of Heaven in the future, do not stop at the material life of the world, never consider the life of this world to be above all, to be all of your life. Because that will make you foolish before God, because only a God of love is the most valuable asset everyone must seek.

Accumulate the eternal wealth of the Kingdom of Heaven in the future right here on earth by always knowing how to love and share with others, always being forgiving, charitable, knowing how to get along, and supporting each other.

God is wise. He knows what is good and what is bad for people. He invites people to fulfill the duty that He gives them, which is to fulfill the 'Law of Love': Love God above all things and love others as yourself.

Thanks be to God. Amen.