Memorial of Saints John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, Priests, and Companions, Martyrs
Reading 1: Ephesians 2:1-10
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.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 100:1b-2, 3, 4ab, 4c-5
R. (3b) The Lord made us, we belong to him.
Sing joyfully to the LORD all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
R. The Lord made us, we belong to him.
Know that the LORD is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends.
R. The Lord made us, we belong to him.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
his courts with praise.
R. The Lord made us, we belong to him.
Give thanks to him; bless his name, for he is good:
the LORD, whose kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations.
R. The Lord made us, we belong to him.
Alleluia: Matthew 5:3
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are the poor in spirit;
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia
Gospel: Luke 12:13-21
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.”
Meditation
Beloved brothers and sisters, let us give thanks to God, who is thrice holy, for the gift of life and for all the wonders He works for us every day. Let us especially thank Him for His Word, which builds us up and shows us the way to heaven.
In the Gospel passage we meditate on today, the message is clear: our lives do not depend on the material possessions we accumulate. The Lord Jesus therefore warns us against greed. Although material possessions may sometimes give us the illusion of success and security, they cannot save our lives. God alone is our Saviour; God alone is Lord.
Beloved, as I reflected on this passage, I asked myself: if material possessions are so unimportant, why do people kill one another to acquire them? I thought of the disputes and divisions within families over property. I thought of power struggles in businesses and nations, and of brothers and sisters who become enemies over inheritance. And I wondered: what is the point? Why all these quarrels over something that is not worth losing our peace and love for? I have come to believe that we have not understood the meaning of life or the purpose of material possessions. Indeed, God does not ask us to stop striving for a more decent and fulfilling life. Material possessions are not, in themselves, the problem. The problem arises when they become an end in themselves rather than a means to an end.
When we consider material possessions as the ultimate goal, we place them at the centre of our lives. They then become the god of our existence, and we become willing to do anything to acquire more and more. We are even prepared to sacrifice everything, including our relationships with others, just to hold on to what we own. We become less charitable because we are afraid that our wealth might decrease.
And that is not even the worst part: we become proud. We begin to believe that we have acquired everything through our own efforts. We no longer acknowledge God’s contribution to our lives. Let us look at the rich man presented to us in today’s Gospel. He had accumulated many possessions, yet at no point did he give thanks to God for them. Neither did he think of sharing with the poor. He was concerned only with himself. And Christ tells us that this man was rich for himself, but not rich in the sight of God.
The conclusion of today’s Gospel therefore invites us to become rich in the sight of God. This means, first, acknowledging that everything we are and everything we have comes through His grace, and second, sharing with those in need what we have freely received from the Lord.
Material possessions should be a means of bearing witness to God’s goodness, not an end in themselves.
Prayer
God our Father, teach us the rightful place of material possessions in our lives. Help us not to be blinded by the illusion of security they offer. Grant us the grace of generosity so that we may always share what we have with our brothers and sisters who are in need. Amen.
Intercession
Lord Jesus, we present all our families to You. You know how they are torn apart day after day because of material possessions. Instil in every heart a spirit of sharing and detachment, so that in difficult situations, each person may think not only of themselves but also of the happiness of others.
Mother Mary, pray for us.
Spiritual Exercise
Make an effort to give something material to someone in need.
Minette MIAFO (Community of the Living Disciples of Christ)
