Reflection on the Gospel of the Eighteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time |
Luke 12:13-21 |
What is your true treasure? Does the pursuit of treasure make us anxious, greedy and tired? Do we truly enjoy the blessings of wealth if we accumulate it for ourselves? Does treasure impede our spiritual growth and damage the relationship between God and man? Does treasure truly improve the meaning of our lives? Or are we called do search for something greater – the Magis. As we celebrate the Feast of Jesuit Founder St. Ignatius of Loyola, the Gospel for today couldn’t be more apt. Ignatius was a man of the world, rich and dreamt of being a valiant warrior for his King. It was at a battle in Pamplona where he had a cannon ball shatter his legs and his dreams of worldly fame only to redirect his life becoming a soldier for a new King Jesus. His reflections on the Life of Saints and the Gospel gave him so much more strength and passion compared the few minutes of euphoria he received on dreaming about worldly vanities only to leave him empty inside. St. Ignatius found that being rich in wealth isn’t what he considered to be treasure. What is your true treasure?
But being rich and wealthy isn’t a disqualification of being Christian. The rich man has two free choices before him:
- He can store the treasure for himself without any concern for others. However, he might end up in dissatisfaction because he cannot enjoy it forever and his lifespan is limited.
- He can make use of his riches to uplift others so he can be rich in front of God and enjoy his riches in heaven. His sharing will give him joy in this world and eternal joy in heaven. The willingness to share resources with others is a gift of God. Jesus wants the Christians to follow this option.
