Luke 12:13-21

Romans 4:20-25

Luke 1:69-70, 71-72, 73-75

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.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, my life does not consist of possessions. You are my life! The food and drink I most desire is that of the heavenly banquet. The things of this world are good, but they do not ultimately satisfy me. The vision of your face is what I most deeply desire.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Meaning of Life: As Jesus journeyed to Jerusalem, he was asked by someone in the crowd to arbitrate a dispute over an inheritance. Jesus discerned that the man was focusing too much on storing up earthly treasure and not enough on being “rich in what matters to God.” Jesus doesn’t say that justice is unimportant or that we should be careless in how we administer our earthly wealth. But he does teach that, “though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.” If human life doesn’t consist of possessions or pleasure, in what does one’s life consist? What is the meaning of life? Jesus doesn’t give a direct answer here, but alludes to the importance of storing up heavenly treasure with God. The fool in life stores up earthly treasure for themselves and is indifferent to the well-being of those in need. The fool doesn’t realize how short this life is and how we need to be ready at any moment to encounter our Lord. The wise man in this life gives alms and in this way stores up heavenly treasure (Luke 12:33; 18:22). The wise man lives always ready for death. The wise man knows that the 70 years or so of this earthly life are like a puff of wind compared to the eternity that awaits.

2. Abraham’s Faith: In the Letter to the Romans, Paul continues to explain that we are initially justified through faith. Here, Paul sees a parallel between Christian faith and Abraham’s faith. “Abraham believed that God could bring new life (Isaac) from his and Sarah’s dying bodies. Christians believe that God brought new life to the crucified body of Jesus by raising him from the dead” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 1999). Abraham did not doubt God’s promise of a son and many descendants. He didn’t doubt that even when his son was sacrificed, God could restore his son to life. On the contrary, Abraham was “empowered by faith.” This faith, which came first from God as a gift, was what put Abraham in a right relationship with God. The Genesis story also reveals that Abraham’s faith was not perfect. He believed but struggled to persevere in his belief. Paul doesn’t dwell on the imperfection of Abraham’s belief, but on how this was what initially justified him, and not the ceremonial works of the Law of Moses. 

3. Raised for our Justification: We, like Abraham, are also justified through faith. We are asked to believe in God the Father, who raised his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, from the dead. Paul teaches that Jesus was handed over and crucified for our transgressions and sins, but that he was raised from the dead for our justification: “The Resurrection of Christ is more than a miracle and motive for faith. It is a saving event in its own right, since the dying and rising of Jesus together constitute his victory over sin and death (1 Corinthians 15:17-22). Baptism gives us a share in this double victory, for through it we die to sin and rise to new life with Christ (6:3-4). The death and resurrection of our souls will be followed by the death and resurrection of our bodies (Romans 8:10-11) (CCC, 654-655)” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 1999).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I believe that you were raised from the dead so that I might be justified and share in your divine life as a child of God. Guide me each day to die to myself so that I may be raised to new life in you.

Living the Word of God: How am I administering the temporal goods I possess? Do I find security in temporal things or the eternal God? Do people in need frequently turn to me for help? Or am I perceived as someone who is selfish with my time and treasure?