Our Scripture Readings for Mass today remind us of the old saying: “You don’t see U-Hauls behind hearses in the funeral procession,” or simply, “You can’t take it with you.” It’s food for thought.
“Fool” is not a word we are accustomed to hearing Jesus use in the Gospels. Jesus’ use of the word in today’s parable (Luke 12:13-21) is done so as to drive home a very important reality. If we are going to spend our lives chasing after things that in the end will not follow us in a U-Haul on the way to the cemetery, instead of following after the Lord, we may not like where we end up. Jesus does not condemn the rich or call everyone to live in extreme poverty. It is about balance. It is about perspective. Saint Paul puts it this way in our Second Reading today (Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11): “Put to death . . . immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed that is idolatry.”
Another way to approach this would be to ask ourselves about our most fundamental and underlying motives for our decisions, behaviors, and actions. Is it to serve others or simply to get ahead in life? If we approach whatever we do with an attitude of service to others, we will be rich beyond our imagination. If we approach our actions only with the attitude of “bigger is better; status is important; success at the expense of others is part of the cost of doing business;” then we are headed toward spiritual poverty, which can produce catastrophic consequences. If we measure our lives by how much “stuff” we have accumulated in our lifetime, then no amount of “stuff” will be sufficient. We will always be wanting more.
We must see each person, including ourselves, as equally contributing to their own abilities and blessings. Remember, God does not show favorites. We are all to be on the same path, for Christ is guiding us, and sometimes pulling us toward the finish line. So, let us spend our time growing rich in the things of God and not of this world.
The Gospel story reminds us that one day each one of us will be called home by God, and we will leave everything behind as we enter eternal life. Let us make sure that we are investing our time and energy in the right things today, living properly in the world today with the expectation of eternal life in the world to come.