Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle C

LUKE 12:13-21

WE JUST HAD A VISIT FROM SOME OF OUR GRANDCHILDREN. MY GRANDAUGHTER ANNA REALLY LIKES GRAPES SO WHEN MY WIFE PUT OUT A BOWL OF THEM, SHE QUICKLY LOADED UP BOTH FISTS WITH AS MANY AS SHE COULD HOLD. SHE SOON DISCOVERED THAT THIS MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO EAT ANYTHING ELSE, AND BECAUSE BOTH HANDS WERE OCCUPIED WITH HOLDING GRAPES, SHE COULDN'T EVEN EAT THEM. SHE BECAME VERY FRUSTRATED. THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE GRAPES OF WRATH, I SUPPOSE.

THERE ARE MANY STORIES ABOUT GREEDY PEOPLE WHO EVENTUALLY GET IN TROUBLE FOR THEIR GREED. WHEN WE HEAR SUCH STORIES, WE LAUGH, OR WE FEEL A SENSE OF RELIEF BECAUSE THAT PERSON IS NOT US; BUT WE ALMOST NEVER FEEL SORRY FOR THE GREEDY PERSON. IN TODAY'S GOSPEL, JESUS TELLS THE STORY OF THE RICH FOOL, AND I'M PRETTY SURE EVERYONE SNICKERED A LITTLE BIT WHEN THEY HEARD IT. HE GOT WHAT HE DESERVED! HE BROUGHT IT ON HIMSELF! AND SURELY NO ONE MISSED THE POINT THAT THIS MAN WASN'T VERY BRIGHT, ALTHOUGH HOW HE GOT RICH WHILE BEING STUPID ESCAPES ME. AND ON SECOND THOUGHT, WHAT'S SO WRONG ABOUT PROVIDING FOR YOUR FUTURE? CAN WE FAULT THE PEOPLE IN THIS VERY CHURCH WHO SAVED UP FOR THEIR OLD AGE AND NOW ARE ENJOYING A COMFORTABLE RETIREMENT BECAUSE OF THEIR PRUDENCE? HOW ARE THEY DIFFERENT FROM THE RICH FOOL? AND WHAT ABOUT SOMEONE WHO SAVES MONEY FOR THEIR CHILDREN'S EDUCATION? OR FOR A NEW HOME, OR A CAR, OR A VACATION? SHOULD WE CONDEMN THEM FOR THESE THINGS? OUR CHURCH WOULD BE IN A LOT OF TROUBLE IF EVERYONE ONLY EARNED ENOUGH TO LIVE ON AND NEVER HAD AN EXTRA BUCK TO DROP IN THE COLLECTION BASKET.

AND THE MAN WHO STARTED IT ALL – TEACHER, TELL MY BROTHER TO GIVE ME MY SHARE OF THE INHERITANCE! – THAT WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN AN UNUSUAL REQUEST IN THOSE DAYS. IF YOU HAD A PROBLEM AND YOU WERE A GOOD JEW, THE FIRST PLACE YOU WOULD GO WOULD BE TO A WISE TEACHER. IN THOSE DAYS THE OLDEST SON WAS IN CHARGE OF DIVIDING UP THE INHERITANCE AFTER THE FATHER DIED. OBVIOUSLY THINGS WEREN'T MOVING FAST ENOUGH IN THIS CASE. I WONDER IF JESUS GOT THE IDEA FOR THE STORY OF THE PRODIGAL SON FROM THIS LITTLE EVENT?

JESUS DOES NOT CONDEMN THE RICH FOOL FOR STORING UP HIS SURPLUS CROPS FOR THE FUTURE. HE CONDEMNS HIM FOR HIS GREED. AND WHAT IS GREED ALL ABOUT ANYWAY? I THINK THE GENIUS OF THIS STORY IS THE PICTURE JESUS PAINTS OF THE RICH FOOL. NOTICE, WHEN HE THINKS ABOUT HIS GOOD FORTUNE, HE SPEAKS TO HIMSELF – NOT GOD, NOT HIS WIFE OR HIS FRIENDS OR HIS CHILDREN, BUT TO HIMSELF.

GREED IS NOT THE SAME THING AS DESIRING GOODS, OR EVEN DESIRING MORE THAN YOU CAN USE RIGHT NOW. GREED IS THE SIN IN WHICH MATERIAL POSSESSIONS DRIVE A WEDGE BETWEEN YOU AND GOD,YOU AND YOUR NEIGHBOR. THE RICH FOOL IS THINKING ABOUT HIS PROBLEM – WHAT SHALL I DO? I HAVE SO MUCH THAT I HAVE NO ROOM TO PUT IT ALL AWAY. I KNOW, I WILL BUILD BIGGER STORAGE SHEDS. THERE IS THE WEDGE BETWEEN HIM AND HIS NEIGHBOR. FOR IF WE HAVE SURPLUS AND OUR NEIGHBOR HAS WANTS, OUR FIRST RESPONSE IS THAT WE SHOULD AT LEAST LOOK TO WHETHER OUR NEIGHBOR HAS ENOUGH TO EAT AND DRINK. IT'S OK TO HAVE SURPLUS. IT'S NOT OK WHEN WE COULD HELP AND WE DON'T.

THE RICH FOOL GOES ON TO TELL HIMSELF THAT HE CAN NOW EAT, DRINK, AND BE MERRY, BECAUSE HE HAS ENOUGH PUT AWAY FOR YEARS TO COME. HE DRIVES A WEDGE BETWEEN HIMSELF AND GOD. EVERY DAY WE PRAY, “GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD” BECAUSE AT LEAST IN THAT PRAYER WE RECOGNIZE THAT GOD IS THE ULTIMATE SOURCE OF EVERYTHING WE NEED, AND WE ARE TOTALLY DEPENDENT ON HIM. THE RICH FOOL FORGETS THAT, AND TAKES THE PLACE OF GOD – DEPENDING ONLY ON HIMSELF. AND OF COURSE THAT'S WHY HE'S A FOOL.

I SUSPECT THAT MOST OF THE PEOPLE WHO HEARD THE STORY IN JESUS' TIME, AND IN FACT MOST OF US, PROBABLY GET JESUS' POINT AND EITHER WE FEEL A LITTLE GUILTY, BUT NOT ENOUGH TO CHANGE; OR WE TELL OURSELVES THAT THIS DOESN'T APPLY TO US, BECAUSE WE AREN'T GREEDY. WE HAVE GOOD REASONS FOR OUR SURPLUS, OUR SAVINGS, OUR SECURITY. AND WE PROBABLY DO. BUT AGAIN, IT'S NOT THAT THAT CHARACTERIZES GREED. ITS WHETHER MATERIAL THINGS ARE SEPARATING US FROM GOD AND OUR NEIGHBOR. AND THAT'S WHERE I THINK WE, WHO HAVE A LOT MORE THAN MOST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD, EVEN MOST PEOPLE IN THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS, NEED TO ASK OURSELVES WHETHER WE ARE INDEED GREEDY. WE THINK OF GREED AS SOMEONE DESIRING SOMETHING TO THE EXTENT THAT THEY FORGET WHAT'S IMPORTANT. BUT GREED CAN ALSO BE WHERE I WANT SOMETHING, AND HAVING THE MEANS TO GET IT, I GO OUT AND BUY IT, MAYBE WITH VERY LITTLE THOUGHT. BECAUSE I AM RICH I CAN HAVE PRETTY MUCH WHATEVER I WANT WHEN I WANT IT. AND IT'S EASY TO FORGET THAT I AM DEPENDENT ON GOD FOR EVERYTHING, EVEN MY EXISTENCE. AND IT'S EASY TO FORGET THAT I AM SUPPOSED TO BE THE STEWARD OF WHAT GOD HAS GIVEN ME, NOT THE OWNER,

I READ RECENTLY THAT THERE IS A NEW CUSTOM THAT HAPPENS AT SOME WEDDINGS. AT THE END OF THE RECEPTION, THE BRIDAL GOWN IS TAKEN OUT AND TRASHED – TORN UP, SPILLED ON, WALKED ON, MAYBE EVEN BURNED A LITTLE – AS A SIGN THAT THIS WEDDING IS PERMANENT AND THE GOWN WILL NEVER BE WORN AGAIN. IT'S A NICE SENTIMENT, BUT IT IS A MANIFESTATION OF GREED TO DESTROY SOMETHING THAT COST THAT MUCH. IT'S KIND OF LIKE THE HEAVY METAL BANDS WHO SMASH THEIR GUITARS AT THE END OF THEIR CONCERTS. GREED IS WHEN YOU FEEL YOU OWN SOMETHING AND CAN DISPOSE OF IT ANY WAY YOU WISH, EVEN IF IT'S A TOTAL WASTE.

A LITTLE GIRL ASKED HER FATHER WHY THEY DIDN'T HAVE A SWIMMING POOL. “WELL,” HE REPLIED, “WE'RE NOT RICH.”. SHE ASKED, “HOW DO YOU GET RICH?” HIS FIRST ANSWER WAS THAT IF HE KNEW, HE'D BE RICH. BUT SHE KEPT ASKING, AND FINALLY HE REPLIED, “YOU HAVE TO LOVE MONEY MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE IN THE WORLD.” THE LITTLE GIRL THOUGHT ABOUT THAT AND DECIDED SHE WOULD NEVER BE RICH, BECAUSE THERE WERE A LOT OF THINGS AND A LOT OF PEOPLE SHE LOVED MORE THAN MONEY.

THIS GOSPEL, AS WELL AS THE FIRST READING, REMINDS US TO EXAMINE OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR THINGS, WITH OUR MONEY, WITH OUR POSSESSIONS. WHETHER WE HAVE A LOT OR A LITTLE, WHETHER WE ARE RICH OR POOR, THE THINGS WE HAVE CAN INTERFERE WITH OUR MOST IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIPS – WITH GOD AND WITH OUR NEIGHBOR. AND WE ARE CALLED TO CORRECT THAT, TO PUT THINGS BACK IN THEIR PROPER PRIORITY. BECAUSE IF WE DON'T, THEN WE ARE WHAT WE LAUGH AT IN JESUS' STORY – RICH FOOLS.