Today’s scriptures for mass are something we can all relate to, whether we have a little money or a lot, it is still a spiritual issue that has to be dealt with. The overriding issue in today’s scriptures for mass seems to be about the acquisition of money and how we live our lives. There is a great deal of truth to these words in scripture today. The first reading from the book of Ecclesiastes says that “sometimes one who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave all to be enjoyed by another who did not toil for it. This also is a vanity and a great evil.” What could be evil about working hard all your life and leaving your children an inheritance when you die? What could be wrong with that? Before you answer that question, though, you should stop and read the gospel today. Jesus has something to say about accumulating money and family inheritances too. The reason that this scripture verse from the book of Ecclesiastes says that leaving a large sum of money that was acquired over a lifetime, to family members who did not work for it is is evil, might be because of all the squabbles and fighting that goes on after a person dies. Whether it is a small amount of money or millions of dollars, families always seem to have at least some disputes over the material possessions a person leaves behind. Sometimes a person isn’t even buried yet, before these disputes begin.
We might say “isn’t it an act of love to leave our children the money and possessions we acquired over a lifetime”? We worked hard for the money and the things that we own. Well, the first reading for mass today does seem to recognize all our hard work, stress on the job and how it effects on us personally. Some things never go out of style. The job stress and long hours and worrying about things late at night before we go to sleep is not contributing to what really matters in life. Our children would rather have us spend time with them throughout their lives, than work at increasing the numbers in our bank accounts. What is a pile of dollar bills really, compared to a genuine relationship with the Lord, our families and our friends?
There is an old saying that “when you die you can’t take it with you” and this really is true. The only thing you take with you into eternal life is your love for God and your love for other people. If you didn’t work on that during life, you will be in serious trouble when you die. And that is what the second reading is all about. The second reading says to set your mind on the things above and not on the things of the earth. It’s pretty self explanatory. We should work at becoming better people. That is the main thing we were put here on earth to do. To learn to quit being selfish, because that is actually the definition of sin. We were put here on earth to learn to love God, to love Jesus and to love our family, friends and the people we live and work with in our everyday lives. Love is the point of life, not money. We miss the boat entirely if we choose money as the focus of our lives, rather than love.
Greed is basically focusing on yourself and your own wants, excessively. That is what today’s gospel is all about. Jesus warns all of us to be “on guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions”.
Where is your treasure? What is the focus of your life? Is the true focus of your life on faith, and your love for your family and friends? If so, you are already on the right track. If not, maybe you can make some changes in your life while there is still time to do something about it.
