August 4, 2019
Readings:
First Reading: Ecclesiastes 1: 2; 2:
21-23
Psalm 90: “If today you hear his voice, harden not your heart .”
Second Reading: Colossians 3: 1-5, 9-11
Gospel reading according to Luke 12:
13-21
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Homily:
Out of nowhere, a certain man raised his
concern to Jesus; he was demanding Jesus to go in between of him and of his
brother with regards of sharing an inheritance from their parents. “Someone
in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance
with me’.” (Luke 12: 13). He was
telling Jesus to ask/request his brother to share with him a portion of
inheritance his brother received. We do not know whether he received or not his
inheritance from their parents. There
was an indication that their parents passed away since their properties were
divided as an inheritance. If he already
received his share in the heirloom or legacy, why he was still asking for a
share in the inheritance received by his brother? Was it not enough for him
what he has received? Was he wanted more?
If not, we may presume also that he was not given by his parents any part of
their property for whatever reason; that is why he was asking for a share of
the inheritance his brother received. This did not happen only in the past, during
the time of Jesus, but also it happens during our times. A family feud with
regards to the property and inheritance, “agawan
ng mana at awayan sa mana,” even at the point of killing each other, if they
could not settle it in court, especially with regards to land. The best example of it was the case of “Yanson versus Yanson, sibling rivalry, ego,
money, and emotions among root causes of serious intracorporate conflict” (Enrique
Soriano, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Board
Talk, July 22, 2019, p. B2-6). “One
of the top stories that circulated in the business community the past few weeks
was about a feuding family based in the South. The family through its group of
bus companies is the country’s biggest operator of buses, carrying a quarter of
a billion passengers annually all over the archipelago. The group is popularly known for its Ceres
Liner and Vallacar Transit and operates a fleet of 4,800 buses nationwide. The simmering rivalry between the siblings,
four against two including the matriarch, threatens to rock the empire to its
foundations, there were “trust issues,” since Ricardo Yanson Sr.’s death in
2015: the battle for control of the spoils that afflict most Asian families,
when a powerful patriarch passes away. What may have started as petty
misunderstandings among siblings during childhood turned into a volatile brew.”
Maybe Jesus knew the man. He was a rich man, but he wanted more, he
cannot satisfy his greed. Jesus did not want to intervene with the dispute of
the two brothers. He also showed to that man that he cannot bribe him by means
of appointing him as his arbiter. “He replied to him, ‘Friend, who appointed me
as your judge and arbitrator’?”
(Luke 12: 14). Without any
permission or notification, he just appointed Jesus to become judge or
arbitrator between him and his brother, with regards to inheritance. Nobody can appoint Jesus as such, especially
with regards to material or earthly things or money matters. Jesus does not care whether he will become
mad at him and leave the company of him.
What is important is to bring to
mind that he is free to accept or not to accept to become a go-in-between with
regards to earthly greediness.
Jesus called the attention of his
disciples to announce one of life’s realities.
That not in possessions of earthly materials our life depend upon, much
less on having too much, or greediness to the things in excess, which we do not
really need. “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 possession’.” (Luke
12: 15). Jesus gave a true and lasting
lesson to his disciples, greediness despite of plenty or too much richness does
not give satisfaction to one’s appetite but looks for more, that is why Jesus
said that we should guard our greediness, we have to put bridle in our eyes and
mouth and hand, to not see what brings us desirable to our eyes and to taste
what is palatable in our mouth and to handle luxurious things. For, if we see
things we think we need we will have a desire to have them in spite we do not
need them for we have plenty of them.
Or, if we taste food, or power and authority, of money and wealth we
will grab them in spite our mouth is full, we desire to have power and
authority for we are easily incline to corruption, or money and wealth for we
have the tendency to steal other properties, and to touch different textures that
make our hands feel the coarseness or softness of the things we hold. For example, we have lots of clothes of
different textures in our cabinets which we do not wear yet, but we still want
new clothes. Even though we have plenty
of graces received from the Lord God, still we are not contented; we are not
yet pleased and happy.
To make what he was saying to that rich
man and his disciples clear he used a parable.
“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
one. 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’!” (Luke
12: 16-19). A rich man, who was so
greedy, harvested a bountiful yield. He
had still lots of stocks in his barns and no more space to store his new harvest. If he was a good rich man, he should remember
his poor and landless farmers or “kasama,”
and to share some of his old stocks to them and even some of the new
harvest. But, as what Jesus described
the rich man who was bad, greedy and selfish that instead to distribute to his
farmers the produce of the earth, he thought to dismantle all his small barns
and make bigger and larger storage to stock his goods. And he said to himself, “rest, eat, drink, be merry,” meaning enjoy life, only his concern
is his unbridled satisfaction; he does not care those who are hungry, and those
who are dying because of lack of food, and whom he gave unjust compensation to
those who works in his field.
Our good God does not sleep; He sees all
our actions and cares. He gives all our
wants but He, God also punishes those who do not care others who are in need
and share whatever graces he/she received from Him. “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’?” (Luke 12: 20). This foolish rich man does not know that God
will take his life. He cannot enjoy his
wealth or power or authority. Only his
greedy relatives like him will enjoy his property, his savings, his
harvest. “Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is
not rich in what matters to God” (Luke 12: 21). This will also happen to those greedy people who stored plenty in their chests but not saving their lives by sharing his bountiful wealth to those in need. Now, which is better, to save and store up
treasure here on earth or in heaven? The
answer is in you, but if you will ask Jesus and me, our answer is in
heaven. We send our treasures in heaven
where thief or moth cannot steal or destroy, and we can enjoy them with God the
Giver of all good gifts, as well as with the angels and the saints
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