Word to the Wise
Sunday, August 3, 2025 - 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time - C
[Eccl 1:2, 2:21-23; Col 3:1-5, 9-11; Luke 12:13-21]Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, vanity of vanities! All things are vanity.....For what profit comes to man from all the toil and anxiety 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. [Ecclesiastes] "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." [Luke]
In a consumer-oriented capitalistic culture, "getting ahead" can be a preoccupation. Acquiring a certain standard of living can take over to the exclusion of all else. The Book of Ecclesiastes casts a gloomy shadow over all effort to "get ahead." The Gospel According to Luke offers the parable of the Rich Fool whose very life was dedicated to gain and his wealth was not to be shared. His "security" was to be found in his barns! What can Qohelet and Jesus say to us about "the American dream?"
The Gospel According to Luke offers also the parables of the Rich Man and Lazarus and the Good Samaritan. We are reminded that we are not "owners" but "stewards" of whatever comes to us in the way of material "blessings." Present gain can easily overshadow ultimate gain. Compassion and sharing are the values that are continually placed before us in the gospels. Perhaps the "What's the use?" attitude of Qoheleth may be too strong, but it is a good reminder. The gospel is realizable if we have the attitude of "stewards" who must give an accounting for all that we do or gain. It is the example of the Good Samaritan and not that of the two rich men in the other two parables that is recommended by Jesus. If the ultimate goal is life with God, paying attention to those parables in the Gospel According to Luke should a lot of sense to a person of faith. It is the challenge to be "counter-cultural" by showing compassion and sharing. AMEN