A Jesuit Catholic University
in Omaha, Nebraska, since 1878

[473] Ephesians 2:1-10 Psalm 100:1b-2, 3, 4ab, 4c-5 Luke 12:13-21

Weekly Guide for Daily Prayer The Daily Reflections

“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 possessions.’” –Lk 12:15

There are a few instances in the Bible where Jesus enters into conversation with those who have great wealth.  For instance, some of us may recognize Matthew 19:24, “Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”  This verse seems to tell us that if we are rich, there is no salvation or heaven for us.  Being rich is a sin, or evil. 

However, Jesus says in today gospel to “guard against greed.”  There’s a difference between being greedy and being rich.  According to the Oxford Dictionary, greed is defined as the intense and selfish desire for something.  Some rich people can be greedy, but some people can have a lot of money and choose not spend it on all their needs (they provide for their children, give some money to their church, or give some to a charity).  In other words, it seems to me that Jesus is okay with us having a lot of money, as long as we use our money wisely.  If we use our money to provide for our families and give to the poor, we’re using our money wisely.  What he doesn’t want us to do is to get sucked into our consumer society, which can be a big influence in every day life. 

Our consumer society tells us that we’re not cool if we don’t have the newest item or make this amount of money.  What consumer society doesn’t tell us is that we often can’t live without the blessings in our life that we all have, no matter how rich or how poor we are.  We often forget that people, like our family and our friends, and the feeling we get after helping those who suffer are the greatest rewards and the greatest “things” you can have in life.  We can’t experience those great things in life if we spend all of our time at the office and constantly worry about earthly possessions.  We often times don’t know what we have until it is gone, so we must take the time to enjoy these God-given blessings. 

In today’s gospel, Jesus warns us that our life could end at any given time and we could stand in front of Jesus tomorrow with our fate before us. We most wonder, have we taken the time to enjoy what’s most important in life or have we been too worried about material possessions? Would Jesus call us home?

We should live everyday as if it is our last.  That’s so hard to do.  I know I’m often worried about tomorrow or the day after, and I don’t even know if God is going to give me those days! 

This topic reminds me of the song “American Dream” by Counting Crowns. I first heard it at a contemporary Christian concert my dad took me to when I was little. I encourage you to listen to it fully, but here are a few lines that reflect what has been said in this reflection:

He used to say, "Whoever dies with the most toys wins"
But if he loses his soul, what has he gained in the end?
I'll take a shack on a rock
Over a castle in the sand

Now he works all day and cries alone at night
It's not getting any better
Looks like he's running out of time