18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C - 4/8/2013 - Gospel: Lk 12: 13-21
Secured the Future
It is a healthy attitude to invest our energy and talents to build up for the better future. Those who seriously plan for the permanent future are wise people because they are like people who built their house on rock foundation. It is solid and strong and would last for eternity. The question of what is solid and permanent isn't being carefully considered. We know that wealth is fluctuated, not firm but because wealth has the power to open many doors it creates a false sense of security for many. Choosing wealth to secure a future is not a permanent one because good intensions at the beginning is soon being deviated on the rise of wealth they have accumulated.
Wealth often influences our way of thinking. If I am clever enough to make wealth them I am able to use it well. This logical argument is sound in theory but in practice the use of wealth requires different skill- humility. Without humility wealth becomes a dangerous tool for others. It is not going to save life or protect family values but destroys family and shatters human life. The wit to make money and the wisdom to use it are incompatible. The power of humility is submission while wealth is resistance. Humility means humble or grounded. Dom di Bartolo in early 13century painter depicts our Lady of Humility in his painting that she sits on the ground, looking up to heaven. It is a symbolic duality of an earthly woman with humility and as well as the heavenly queen. The ultimate aim of humility is to achieve a state of enlightenment through prayers or some form of meditation.
No doubt wealth is necessary for us but wealth is the cause of stress. No wealthy people in this world are stress- free. There is another predicament of wealth is that it takes a long time to accumulate it but it could be gone like a flick of a finger. People who use wealth to secure a better future accept to take risk because they have no other means to secure their everlasting future. Jesus in his teaching told us that there is a better way to secure our everlasting future and that is having love for God and for others. This security is paramount because it has its foundation on God's grace and nothing can destroy it. It won't give you stress and the competition for providing ministry for others is a healthy one. Love based on goodness and generosity which is non destroyable.
Using wealth to secure for our future is a good idea but it is not a wise one because people can die with their wealth. It is better to die in love and being loved. Those who love God and love our neighbours aim to see the reality of true love both in this life and in eternity. Our love is derived from God's love and guided by the teaching of Christ is the rock foundation.
Wealth often influences our way of thinking. If I am clever enough to make wealth them I am able to use it well. This logical argument is sound in theory but in practice the use of wealth requires different skill- humility. Without humility wealth becomes a dangerous tool for others. It is not going to save life or protect family values but destroys family and shatters human life. The wit to make money and the wisdom to use it are incompatible. The power of humility is submission while wealth is resistance. Humility means humble or grounded. Dom di Bartolo in early 13century painter depicts our Lady of Humility in his painting that she sits on the ground, looking up to heaven. It is a symbolic duality of an earthly woman with humility and as well as the heavenly queen. The ultimate aim of humility is to achieve a state of enlightenment through prayers or some form of meditation.
No doubt wealth is necessary for us but wealth is the cause of stress. No wealthy people in this world are stress- free. There is another predicament of wealth is that it takes a long time to accumulate it but it could be gone like a flick of a finger. People who use wealth to secure a better future accept to take risk because they have no other means to secure their everlasting future. Jesus in his teaching told us that there is a better way to secure our everlasting future and that is having love for God and for others. This security is paramount because it has its foundation on God's grace and nothing can destroy it. It won't give you stress and the competition for providing ministry for others is a healthy one. Love based on goodness and generosity which is non destroyable.
Using wealth to secure for our future is a good idea but it is not a wise one because people can die with their wealth. It is better to die in love and being loved. Those who love God and love our neighbours aim to see the reality of true love both in this life and in eternity. Our love is derived from God's love and guided by the teaching of Christ is the rock foundation.
Written by Fr Vũđình Tường
St Francis Xavier Catholic Parish
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane Australia
St Francis Xavier Catholic Parish
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane Australia