Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

“Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” In today’s Gospel reading (Luke 12:13-21), Jesus tells us a parable about greediness and covetousness. In the story, a very wealthy man had lots of land which produced a bountiful yield. The rich man did not have enough space to store the harvest so he decided to tear down his barns and build new ones big enough so he could store his crops for many years. And the rich man said, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.” But God said to him, “Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” When God graces us with a bountiful harvest, who does the harvest belong too? We can covet the harvest and keep it for ourselves, or we can share the harvest with others. Jesus warns us that, “He who lays up treasures for himself, is not rich toward God.” Our treasure is the thing we hold dearest to our heart. Is your treasure based on earthly riches or is it based on spiritual richness? Our life should not be measured in the abundance of our possessions, but in the abundance of our giving and love for God. In the end, the only treasure we will take with us is our soul. Jesus is not upset because the man was able to produce a large crop, but that the crop became the one desire of his heart. We must avoid letting earthly treasures consume our soul. These treasures we are given are to share with others.

A simple prayer

Lord, God, I thank you for the treasures you have given me.

May I not covet these treasures but share them with those in need.

May you become the treasure which is the subject of my life.

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon