The things you have prepared, whose will they be?

The Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year C

Collect

Draw near to your servants, O Lord, and answer their prayers with unceasing kindness, that, for those who glory in you as their Creator and guide, you may restore what you have created and keep safe what you have restored. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

First Reading
Ecc 1:2; 2:21-23

What profit comes to a man from all his toil?

A reading from the Book of Ecclesiastes

Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth,
   vanity of vanities!  All things are vanity!

Here is one who has labored with wisdom and knowledge and skill,
   and yet to another who has not labored over it,
   he must leave property.
This also is vanity and a great misfortune.
For what profit comes to man from all the toil and anxiety of heart
   with which he has labored under the sun?
All his days sorrow and grief are his occupation;
   even at night his mind is not at rest.
This also is vanity.

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14, 17

R. :

℟. (1) If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

You turn man back to dust,
   saying, “Return, O children of men.”
For a thousand years in your sight
   are as yesterday, now that it is past,
   or as a watch of the night.

℟. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

You make an end of them in their sleep;
   the next morning they are like the changing grass,
Which at dawn springs up anew,
   but by evening wilts and fades.

℟. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Teach us to number our days aright,
   that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
   Have pity on your servants!

℟. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
   that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
And may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours;
   prosper the work of our hands for us!
   Prosper the work of our hands!

℟. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Second Reading
Col 3:1-5, 9-11

Seek what is above, where Christ is.

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Colossians

Brothers and sisters:
If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above,
   where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.
For you have died,
   and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ your life appears,
   then you too will appear with him in glory.

Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly:
   immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire,
   and the greed that is idolatry.
Stop lying to one another,
   since you have taken off the old self with its practices
   and have put on the new self,
   which is being renewed, for knowledge,
   in the image of its creator.
Here there is not Greek and Jew,
   circumcision and uncircumcision,
   barbarian, Scythian, slave, free;
   but Christ is all and in all.

The word of the Lord.

Acclamation before the Gospel
Mt 5:3

℟. Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

℟. Alleluia, alleluia.


Gospel
Lk 12:13-21

The things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?

✠ A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke

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 all who store up treasure for themselves
   but are not rich in what matters to God.”

At the end of the Gospel, the Deacon, or the Priest, acclaims:

The Gospel of the Lord.

All reply:

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Reflection

What hardships do people endure to accomplish their life’s dreams and desires? How many people work and strive, even at the great cost of their relationships with others and with the Lord!

On social media we read posts about close acquaintances and are shocked to find out that they had unexpectedly passed away. I feel sorry for those who think they will live forever and cling to their material possessions as if they could take them with them when they die.

The Book of Ecclesiastes tells us: “All is vanity”.

The Psalm says: “You turn man back to dust.”

St Paul writes to the Colossians: Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

In the Gospel according to Luke, Jesus tells us: “So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”

We glorify God through the way we live every time our charitable works are done for those in need.  We live a life that honours God each time we care for those who are isolated, by calling to help and deliver cooked meals to their doors.

A person who strives to walk in God’s ways is someone who cares for a friend through every season of life. We bear fruit that pleases God each time we listen patiently to someone carrying a heavy burden, allowing them to pour out their heart until they find solace. We glorify God each time we love and serve without self-seeking.

In his letter to the Colossians, St. Paul writes: “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things”. How many things distract us from focusing on what is above! The more distractions we face, the more we must cling to the Lord. We are surrounded by countless people whose lives should inspire us: religious and lay people who dedicate their lives to assisting migrants or prisoners; there are those that assist the sick, who despite their own struggles, continue to support others who suffer like them. How many Maltese, both in the past and in our present day, have put into practice what Jesus is asking of us in this Gospel: to glorify God, stay alert, and guard your heart against greed.

Prayer

Lord, give me wisdom to discern all that is futile in my life. Remind me that I have been created for a life far greater that which this world offers me. Open my eyes and my mind to contemplate the things of Heaven that give consolation. Grant me the grace to always live a life that glorifies You alone. Amen. 

 

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