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AN OVERVIEW OF THIS SUNDAY’S READINGS
COI
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RC (18th Sunday in Ordinary Times)
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There are no direct parallels to this passage among the
other canonical gospels.
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SERMON NOTES (778 words)
Needs and wants: what is the difference between them? I need a new smartphone or do I just want
one? We live in a highly stressful and
competitive age where we are told we must have or we must look a certain way or
dress in a particular fashion or think in a certain way. But, what do we need?
And where does money come into it?
What we need – in addition to shelter, clothing and food –
is kindness and love. Friendship is crucial and so is a happy and reasonably
balanced life overall. It is possible to live happily on a little while being
miserable with much wealth.
Clearly, we need money and goods to live a reasonable life.
There is no point in comparing us to our ancestors when standards and
expectations of living were very, very different to that what they are today.
Neither is there any point in comparing ourselves with those in some of the
poorest regions of the world (but we should be concerned and active in helping
people far and near to the extent that we can).
In spite of all the progress made in Ireland in the space of
a few decades (what was a day’s journey from one side of the island to the other is
now a few hours), there are still large inequalities in wealth and income. Just
walk down the main street of your city or town and it is clear that we are a
country of contrasts. And much poverty is hidden and even subtle. And, yet, we wonder about so many things and
constantly strive to increase our wealth and income one way or another. Many of
us also spend a lot of money (and time) insuring ourselves against this or that
calamity including sickness or loss of job or income.
Now, there is nothing wrong with working hard to provide a
good standard of living for ourselves and our families as well as contributing
to our communities. However, how much is enough? Where is the thin red line
between ‘needs’ and ‘wants’?
In today’s Gospel reading we hear a story about a rich and
foolish man who thought life was about striving after more. Fool! This very
night you will die and who will own all of your wealth says the Lord? The irony of this story is that it begins
with a question to Jesus (as so many stories in the gospel do). ‘Tell my brothers’ to divide the spoils of
inheritance fairly. O yes – more family feuds have been fought over dead
persons’ estates (or persons thought likely to be dead in the not too distant
future). We are not much different today.
Jesus concludes the story or parable by urging us to be ‘rich before God’.
How do we become ‘rich before God’? The answer lies in
letting go of our attachments and our cravings for this and that good (or
experience). It is about growing inwardly in the grace of God by allowing ourselves
to be shaped by gospel values of kindness, generosity and readiness to give as
well as to receive. The impulse to be ‘rich before God’ is written deeply in
our hearts and it is God’s Holy Spirit that we must follow in the depths of our
hearts.
The gospels, including that of Luke, do not provide a
detailed blueprint for how we should organise society. Rather, the good news
provides signposts to how we can reset our priorities and put human dignity
first before any institution, ideology or interest. Trusting in a higher love that guides our
lives as well as in a code of behaviour that de-thrones the gods of money and
social status remains a challenge for Christians today as it did in Jesus’
time. The person in the crowd who sought free legal aid and intervention by
Jesus in the case of a family quarrel over inheritance is a proto-type for us
today as we confuse ‘wants’ and ‘needs’ and end up never being satisfied
because we want what we do not need and we need the very things we do not want
to face up to. As always, Luke turns
everything upside down in this crazy upside-down world.
For the Christ came not to enchain but to set free. He came
not to condemn but to save. And He came not to impoverish but to enrich. We,
too, can be rich in relationship, hope and care. This is what we bring with us
at the end and this is what we leave behind for others to treasure. And this is
what matters.
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SOME IDEAS FOR INTERCESSIONS
With trust in our heavenly Father and the riches of his
grace we pray for:
True freedom to live as God’s children rather than slaves of
wants….
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
For those excluded and left behind as a result of the greed of
others…
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
For our communities, families and churches that we may be
places of sharing and generosity and so become more credible witnesses in a
world waiting for change…..
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
For all those who are away on holidays – keep them safe and
bring them home safely.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
For all those who are visiting this place at this time of
vacation…
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
For all those who for one reason or another cannot get away
on holidays – may we be open to sharing our time and goods with others…..
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
For the grace, this week, to be truly wise and rich in what
matters to God.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
For one another….
Loving God gather up our prayers –
those spoken and those unspoken in the depths of our hearts. In the places we
live, work and communicate, may we be channels of peace and reconciliation in a
tormented world.
