The Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke. (12:16-21)

In today’s reading the Lord gives a simple parable about the subject of treasure. Namely, what do we consider to be our treasure and how do we use or misuse our treasure. He tells us about a rich man whose crops flourished. They flourished to such a degree that in fact he ran out of space in his barns and storehouses. So upon seeing all of his abundance and the situation that was caused by this over abundance of crops, he asks “What shall I do?” On the surface, he did what any logical person would do. He decided to pull down the barns and build even bigger barns to store all of his wealth, meaning, his grains and produce. Now as he was contemplated all of this, he finished his daydream by thinking about the result of building new larger barns. He thought about how he would say these words “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.”

Now at this point in the parable we are told that God spoke to the man saying ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” I think that this message is very clear for us. And it is a two sided message. The first and plain reading is that we focus too much of our attention to our financial wellbeing without thinking about the “well-being” of the things of God. We worry too much about caring for our needs, and not nearly enough in caring for the needs of the things of God. But what are the things of God? Namely, the care of the poor and the care of the church. After all doesn’t our Lord Jesus tell us that the one who serves the poor serves Him? And doesn’t St. Paul also tell us that the Church is the body of Christ and the house of God?

When one is rich towards God, he starts from a point of view of gratitude towards God for all things. He looks at his treasures and his bank account and he doesn’t worry about his wealth, he worries instead about how he can show love and gratitude to God for all of the gifts that He has poured out on us, although we are unworthy of these gifts. He thinks about how he can glorify God with a small portion of his treasures. And he trusts that God receives these through the church and uses them to bless the lives of countless others.

My brothers and sisters, you know that we are raising funds to build a simple but beautiful church and now you can see the skeleton of that church. Do you think that this is simply a building? No! It will be a hospital for the many wounded who enter. It will be a refuge for those who feel unsafe. It will be a shelter and a home for those who feel homeless and without a family. It will be a lighthouse for those who are wandering in the darkness. You and your children and your grandchildren for generations will come here to take blessings and to commune with God. It becomes all of those things by the grace of God and by the love offerings and offerings of thanksgiving that we provide according to our ability. And Our Lord mentions these things not for His benefit but for our benefit.

St. Cyril of Alexandria says “How carefully and with what great skill he brings the lives of the holy apostles to spiritual excellence. And with them he benefits us too, because he desires all humankind to be saved and to choose the wise and more excellent life.” In desiring that we choose the excellent way, the Lord wants to free us of worldliness. He wants to free us of greed and orient our hearts to what is lasting, to what has eternal value.

Now I told you that there is also another meaning to this text. Specifically, that one who is rich towards God is focused on righteousness. He is not so focused on the condition of his bank account as much as he is focused on the condition of his soul because his soul will live forever. St. Cyril again writes, “It is true that a person’s life is not from one’s possessions or because of having an overabundance. He who is rich toward God is very blessed and has glorious hope. Who is he? Evidently, one who does not love wealth but rather loves virtue, and to whom few things are sufficient…. It is one whose hand is open to the needs of the poor, comforting the sorrows of those in poverty according to his means and the utmost of his power. He gathers in the storehouses that are above and lays up treasures in heaven. Such a one shall find the interest of his virtue and the reward of his right and blameless life.”

So St. Cyril actually connects the two. He tells us that when we care for the poor we are actually caring for our own souls. We can also say that the reverse is also true. When we focus only on ourselves, somehow we are not caring for but mutilating our own souls. The treasures we have are temporary possessions but if they are not properly and wisely used, they take possession of us. St. Leo of Rome tells us that as Christians we should always be focused on preparing for the end of our earthly life. He writes, “This should be the careful consideration of wise people, that since the days of this life are short and the time uncertain, death should never be unexpected for those who are to die. Those who know that they are mortal should not come to an unprepared end.” Sermon 90.4.1.

What is so important about this idea is that it is a common idea found among the ancient desert fathers as well. That we should always be preparing for our death. It seems from the outside like a strange and dark sentiment, but in fact, it is a spiritual boost and it allows us to focus on reality as it is. No matter who we are, king or queen, emperor or president, billionaire or philanthropist, doctor, lawyer, engineer, priest, builder, farmer, athlete, soldier, stay at home mom, or even a rich landowner, this is still our reality. May we love God and the things of God and keep these things in proper order in our lives so that we will not hear this dreadful word “Fool!” but will instead hear the Lord say to us “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.”

Source: Sermons