18th Sunday: Eccles (Qoh) 1:2, 2:21-23. Col 3:1-5, 9-11. Lk 12:13-21. - The Gospel this weekend is this: Lk 12:13-21. Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me." 14 He replied to him, "Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?" 15 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." 16 Then he told them a parable. "There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. 17 He asked himself, 'What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?' 18 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 19 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!" 20 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?' 21 Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God." * The first reading is this:
Eccles (Qoh) 1:2, 2:21-23. Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, vanity of vanities! All things are vanity! 2:21 For here is a man who has labored with wisdom and knowledge and skill, and to another, who has not labored over it, he must leave his property. This also is vanity and a great misfortune. 22 For what profit comes to a man from all the toil and anxiety of heart with which he has labored under the sun? 23 All his days sorrow and grief are his occupation; even at night his mind is not at rest. This also is vanity. - The second reading is this: Col 3:1-5, 9-11. If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory. 5 Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry… 9 Stop lying to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed, for knowledge, in the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, * slave, free; but Christ is all and in all. - MEDITATION: This week is about the search for genuine wealth. The fact that religious vocations take a vow of poverty isn't because of some strange masochism, but mainly because of the joy of being free. If there's a nice cake to eat on the table, we give thanks to God and munch, but if there's only hard bread and water, we still give thanks to God... for not being in need of nice cakes! I'm stuck in a bloody wheelchair, but I thank God because I've loads and loads of air to breathe - and my lungs function! Many who don't follow the Church today, like to criticize the fact that the Pope lives in what looks like a palace in Rome and I always reply that the Pope would probably much prefer live in a simple little house, but he can receive and talk to much more people from the Vatican. It's great to be free of mundane riches, honors and pleasures (so if I make mistakes here, please correct me!). We realize that the inheritance which Jesus has prepared for us is worth a lot more than any worldly wealth, and we'd be glad to share it with everyone. What Quoheleth says (in Eclesiastes today) is true. That the world is full of 'vanities'. It makes me think of an elderly millionaire-ess in the U.S.A. who asked not to be buried after she dies in a coffin, but rather in a beautiful limozine! Many brothers and sisters in our human family bury themselves alive in their riches and ambitions, and the call to give testimony of the rich poverty of Jesus, is really a call to help save lives. Of course, this isn't a call to be lazy. We want to work as hard as any businessman in the world, but in order to free the world of selfish businesses and set us all on the way to receive a huge inheritance. God can form 'riches' with a 'click of the fingers', but he can't do that with the human heart. He has to get a missionary Church to speak out (or write out!), in order to pass along what Jesus has given us. We should feel sorry for the world today which is 'quarreling' like the two brothers in the Gospel. I think that it's the only place in the Gospel where Jesus describes someone with the word 'fool'. We take vows of poverty because we don't want to be fools! We want to be really rich in the eternal kingdom, and not alone, but as part of a big family enjoying a great richness! St Paul speaks today of criticisms and challenges, but he does so for loving reasons. Fraternal love is great. We can speak very openly to each other. And it draws no division between Jew and Greek - between Spaniard and Irishman! Christ is in us all, and he begins his reply to the guy today, calling him 'friend'. That's the supreme richness for which I long! Maybe 'everything under the sun is vanity' (first reading), but it's certainly different under the 'Sun which rises from on high' (Christ)! The 'rich young man' in Mark 10 goes away sad, but we'd love to stay with you, Lord, and that joy will last forever! ...... Dara. - - En ESPAÑOL: - Domingo 18º: Eccles (Qoh) 1:2, 2:21-23. Col 3:1-5, 9-11. Lc 12:13-21. Esta semana es sobre la búsqueda de riqueza genuina. El hecho de que las vocaciones religiosas toman un voto de poreza no debido a algún extraño masoquismo, sino principalmente por la alegría de ser libre. Si hay una torta agradable comer en la mesa, damos gracias a Dios y masticar, pero si solo hay pan duro y agua, todavía damos gracias a Dios... para no tener necesidad de tortas agradables! Estoy atrapado en una silla de ruedas sangriento, pero gracias a Dios porque tengo cargas y cargas de aire para respirar - y mi función de los pulmones. Muchos de los que no siguen la iglesia hoy en día, al igual que critican el hecho de que el Papa vive en lo que parece un palacio en Roma y siempre contestar que el Papa probablemente mucho prefieren vivir en una casita sencilla, pero puede recibir y hablar con mucha más gente desde el Vaticano. Es genial estar libre de riquezas mundanas, honores y placeres (así que si cometo errores aquí, por favor corríjanme!). Nos damos cuenta de que la herencia que Jesús ha preparado para nosotros vale mucho más que cualquier riqueza mundana, y estaríamos encantados de compartir con todos. Es cierto lo que dice Quoheleth (en Eclesiastes hoy). Que el mundo está lleno de 'vanidades'. Me hace pensar de un millonario-ess mayor en los Estados Unidos que pidió no ser enterrado después de que ella muere en un ataúd, sino en una limozine hermosa! Muchos hermanos y hermanas en nuestra familia humana entierran ellos mismos en sus riquezas y ambiciones y la llamada a dar testimonio de la rica pobreza de Jesús, es realmente una llamada para ayudar a salvar vidas. Por supuesto, esto no es una llamada a la holgazanería. Queremos trabajar tan duro como cualquier empresario en el mundo, pero con el fin de liberar al mundo de los negocios egoístas y nos dirigía a recibir una enorme herencia. Dios puede formar 'riquezas' con un solo clic de los dedos, pero no puede hacerlo con el corazón humano. Él tiene que llegar una Iglesia misionera para hablar (o escribir), para pasar a lo largo de lo que Jesús nos ha dado. Debemos sentir pena por el mundo de hoy que es 'discutiendo' como los dos hermanos en el Evangelio. Creo que es el único lugar en el Evangelio, donde Jesús describe a alguien con la palabra 'tonto'. Tomamos votos de pobreza, porque no queremos ser tontos! Queremos ser muy rico en el Reino eterno y no solo, sino como parte de una familia numerosa disfrutando de una gran riqueza! San Pablo habla hoy de las críticas y los retos, pero lo hace por razones de amar. Amor fraternal es grande. Podemos hablar muy abiertamente entre sí. Y no dibuja división entre judío y griego - entre español e irlandés! Cristo está en todos nosotros, y comienza su respuesta al tio hoy, llamándolo 'amigo'. Es la Suprema riqueza que anhelo! Tal vez 'todo bajo el sol es vanidad"(primera lectura), pero es ciertamente diferente bajo el 'sol que se levanta de en lo alto' (Cristo)! Del 'joven rico' en marca 10 va triste, pero nos encantaría quedar contigo, Señor, y que alegría durará para siempre! Comments are closed.
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