18th Sunday of Ordinary Time

At first glance, it would be easy to say our readings this week are focused on the dangers of money. 

That's not wrong, but it's not the whole story. To limit the message of these readings to a warning about money and possessions would miss the larger point that we're meant to hear.

In the first reading from Ecclesiastes, we hear that, "All things are vanity!" This is a sort of an over-the-top way of speaking, but there is truth in it. As the reading says, even the person who worked hard with "wisdom and knowledge and skill" will have to let go of their possessions in the end.

In the Gospel, Jesus responds to a dispute about an inheritance and then says, "Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one's life does not consist of possessions."

And then he tells a parable about a rich man who planned a comfortable retirement. He took in a harvest so large that he would be able to live off it for many years, so he decides that now he can rest and enjoy the fruit of his labor.

But God tells him that he will die that very night and everything that he has worked for will mean nothing to him.

What these readings are telling us is not that "money is evil" or "having stuff is evil," but that they must be put in their proper place. Notice in that parable, that the man is not condemned for working hard and benefiting from that work; he's called a fool because he thinks that he has control. The man's mistake is thinking that, with his riches, he has everything he needs.

The reality though, for all of us, is that we are made for so much more.

It's very tempting to hang our hopes on things we can see: a new house, a nice car, a better paying job - those aren't bad things. Providing for your family is not a bad thing. It's a gift from God that we get to participate in building up the world.

But, it's very easy to make those things the center. There's a word for that: idolatry.

Idolatry is not just worshipping some golden statue - it's putting before God, putting something between you and God. And that's a dangerous thing to do.

In the second reading, St. Paul says, "If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above." He's writing to the Corinthians, but that applies to all of us as well.

If you were raised with Christ - if you've been given new life through baptism, if you've been brought into this relationship with God through the Church - then seek what is above - seek what's real, what is going to last - in the end, seek God.

We have been raised. We have been given new life. And now we have a choice: do we seek what is eternal or do we try to find meaning in things that are eventually going to disappear.

These readings are calling all of us to look at our lives and honestly ask, "What is most important?" If it's anything but God, we're missing something.

The beautiful thing, though, is that when we put God first, other things fall into place. We're able to have strong, loving relationships; we are able to find hope in the midst of suffering; and we can share what we've received.