18th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C
A story was once told about a big and famous business meeting held in 1923 at the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago. Among those in attendance were nine of the world‘s most famous and successful individuals: the president of the largest independent steel company; the president of the largest utility company; the president of the largest gas company; the greatest wheat speculator; the president of the New York Stock Exchange; a member of the president’s cabinet; the greatest investor on Wall Street; the head of the world’s greatest monopoly; and the president of the bank of international settlement. People feared, revered, respected and valued these great, important and powerful individuals. But years later, the story of these great and famous men changed.
The first, Charles Schwab, died bankrupt; the second, Samuel Insull, died penniless outside the country. The third, Howard Hopson, went mentally insane. The fourth, Arthur Cotton, died abroad with so much debts. The fifth, Richard Whitney, served a long sentence in prison. The sixth, Albert Fall, died at home after being released from prison. The seventh, Jesse Livermore, the eight Ivor Krueger, and the ninth, Leon Fraser, all committed suicide.
My dear friends, we live in the materialistic world where fame and fortune, wealth and power are exalted and praised above all else. Of course there seems to be an authentic need to live a good life and to survive in a difficult and challenging world like ours today. This has made us spend so much time and energy trying to make this a reality, by working very hard to get the amenities we need and to relax and have a comfortable life. But we cannot predict tomorrow, because there are many uncertainties in life, and we do not know what is going to happen next. A heart attack, a disease, death, a house fire, an epidemic, a car crash, a recession can cause us to lose everything we have physically toiled and worked for.
It is a well known fact that money or wealth is important because it provides food, clothing, education, shelter for our families, helps spread the knowledge and service of Christ, helps us assist our neighbor, but today’s readings all remind us of the need to work hard for that which endures forever, that is, to work hard for the things of heaven. In today’s first reading from the Book of Ecclesiastes chapter 1, verse 2, and chapter 2, verse 21 to 23, Qoheleth states that, “vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!” Then St. Paul tells us in today’s second reading from his Letter to the Colossians chapter 3, verse 1 to 5, and verse 9 to 11 to “Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.” Jesus then in the gospel reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke chapter 12, verse 13 to 21 reminds us of the futility of placing our trust in material things or the things of the world. Jesus said in the gospel reading, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.” Jesus then goes ahead to emphasize His message by giving us the story of the rich man who had a bountiful harvest to remind us to store up treasures for ourselves in heaven, so that we can be rich in the sight of God.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, wealth to the world is the accumulation of money, but true wealth in the sight of God, is the accumulation of grace. True wealth is stored in one’s soul because it is measured in the exercise of virtue and in the amount of love we have for God and for our neighbor. So let us store up true wealth for ourselves by performing good works, by practicing charity and by living out Christ’s message to love one another as He has loved us.
