18th Sunday of Ordinary time- year c

I remember the story of a man who wanted to earn money by hook or by crook. In the process he was caught taking bribes and was brought before the king. As a punishment he was given three options to choose from; Either eat 5 kilos of Onions or be whipped 40 times or pay 1000 pounds. The convict thought it is foolish to part away with 1000 pounds. So he opted for the first one. He wanted eat 5 kilos of onions. After he ate a kilo he stated bleeding in his nose so he said he will take the whips instead. After taking a few wipes he shouted he will pay the money no more whips. He endured all the three punishments because of his foolishness and love for money.
In the Gospel today Jesus talks about a similar man who was possessed by his possessions. One of the shocking parts of the parable is that the rich man never considers any one else’s needs or that the blessings of his harvest was meant to enrich anyone other than himself. In ancient world, when one person was blessed then the whole community rejoiced because they presumed that the blessings given to one person would be shared with everyone. That is not the case in this parable- the man keeps everything for himself and doing so reveals his lack of compassion, his lack of faith, and an overwhelming greed. Greed is nothing but an insatiable desire to acquire more possessions. It is one of the vices listed in various New Testament passages. The basis of greed is the mistaken belief that the life is a matter of having rather than being. Jesus knows that the possessions can become a source of false security for people. He warns us of this. For his followers security of life is to be found in God and not in their possessions. When a disciple correctly establishes his security in God then he is able to let go of false securities in an expression of generosity.
The second negative quality of the rich man is his failure to consider the consequences his current action will have for eternal life. Instead, his primary concern is for pursuit of pleasure and self-indulgence in this life. This is exemplified in rich man’s statements; “take it easy, eat and drink and make merry”. When a person believes that pleasure is the goal of life then they have given into what is known as hedonism. This kind of hedonistic attitude is against God’s will. Jesus commanded his followers to avoid concern for vain and fleeting pursuit of this pleasure (Lk 12.29). When a person becomes hedonistic, he has practically excluded God from this daily decisions. It makes him to make decisions without considering God’s will for him.
The third negative quality of the rich man is that of ego-centrism. This is the inability to understand or assume any perspective other than an individual’s own perception. This attitude is reflected in the rich man because of how he constantly speaks about himself: “I will do…..” “I will pull down……” I will build …….” I will store…….” “ I will say to myself …….” He never considers what God may desire for his life or what others may need of him. What was meant to be a blessing (Abundant harvest) has become a problem because he now has to find a way to keep it all for himself. This self-absorption is demonstrated by the use of such phrases as “ My crops”, “My barn”, “my goods”, and “my soul”. The man in the parable didn’t think he needed anyone else- family, community, or God and so he doesn’t include them in his deliberation and planning for future.
The wake-up call to rich man comes with an interesting Phrase: “You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you”. He wanted to be perceived as “Merry” or lucky man but in reality he is perceived as a “fool”. He thought he had many years to enjoy his life but in reality it will last no more than “This night”. He enjoyed self-absorption with his own soul and now his own soul is being taken away from him, and he believed his possessions would be his security but they can offer him no help. All is vanity. His possessions are actually taking his life away from him. St.Francis of Assisi once said, “Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take nothing that you have received….. but only what you have given.” On one of the tombstones it is written “What I gave I have, what I kept I lost.” The blessings we receive as individuals or as a nation are meant for all people and our wealth becomes a blessing when we share. The world does have enough resources for the needs of humanity. What we lack is generosity and compassion for others who are in need. In the world there are many needy because few are greedy. Its against this that the Lord is warning us against. We are called to become rich in the eyes of God not men. Amen.