Monday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
We learned recently that our son Kieran is going to be the understudy for Marley’s Ghost at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park production of Dickens “A Christmas Carol.” That got me thinking about today’s Gospel parable.
Although currently out of season, that play captures the heart of today’s parable of the rich fool. On Christmas Eve, a haunted, terrified Ebenezar Scrooge flatters Marley’s ghost, “You were always a good man of business, Jacob.” The ghost wails mournfully, “Business! Mankind was my business! Charity, the common welfare, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence were all my business!”
The parable of the rich fool, unique to Luke, is itself unusual as the only Gospel parable wherein God is a character in the drama. God directly labels the rich man a fool. In this way this particular parable truly stands out. Let us take note of that.
The rich man in our parable is a fool in failing to recognize what truly matters in life. He thinks only in terms of I, me, & mine. He forgets that grain eventually rots in silos no matter how many silos you have. He denies his mortality. Awareness of death is key to discovering the value of life. The story presents a vital question: “What makes us rich in
the sight of God?”
The parable responds in three ways: generosity with our possessions, stewardship with our possessions, and clarity about what we have. Everything is on loan and is only temporary. The rich man isn’t wicked, but he is greedy. He isn’t simply “saving for a rainy day” but rather wants more than the surplus he already has.
Unfortunately, Jacob Marley learned this lesson far too late. He failed to consider the question, “What makes us rich in the sight of God?” May this not be said of us.
Let us pray, “Lord, grant us wisdom to appreciate what really matters in life. Truly our lives and possessions belong to you.”
—Timothy J. Cronin