“Fill your heart, not your barn”
Listening the Spirit
Lord, teach me to be generous,
to serve you as you deserve,
to give and not to count the cost,
to fight and not to heed the wounds,
to toil and not to seek for rest,
to labor and not to look for any reward,
save that of knowing that I do your holy will.
Listening the Word: Luke 12:13-21
Someone in the crowd said to Jesus,
“Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.”
He replied to him,
“Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?”
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.”
Then he told them a parable.
“There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest.
He asked himself, ‘What shall I do,
for I do not have space to store my harvest?’
And he said, ‘This is what I shall do:
I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones.
There I shall store all my grain and other goods
and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you,
you have so many good things stored up for many years,
rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’
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.”
Reflection
Dear readers, today the Word of God invites us to ask ourselves if it makes sense to accumulate if when we die, we will take nothing with us.
The first reading introduces us to the wise Qohelet, a man who has had everything—wisdom, work, possessions—and yet feels empty. “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity,” the preacher repeats several times. We can experience something similar when we rush around all day, with work, social media, debts, commitments… but at what point do we stop to ask if what we are seeking is worth it? Qohelet is not being pessimistic, what he is doing is an invitation to focus on what is essential, because life is short, and it only has meaning when we live it with God and for others.
In the Second Reading, Saint Paul reminds us that if we have risen with Christ, our gaze must be directed toward heaven and not toward earthly things. This doesn't mean we should stop working or planning, but rather that our hearts should not be focused on things, but on love, truth, justice, and hope. Saint Paul even invites us to kill greed within us, which is a form of idolatry. Because when money or success become our gods, we forget the true God.
Finally, the parable of the rich fool is very clear: a rich man has a bountiful harvest and decides to keep everything for himself, builds bigger barns, indulges himself… and believes his future is secure. But God says to him: “You fool! This very night you will die, and for whom will all this wealth you have stored up be?” Those who store up wealth for themselves do not become rich in what is worth to God. It is not wealth itself that is condemned, but selfishness, greed, and self-sufficiency. That man lived only for himself, without thinking about others or God.
Today, Jesus calls us to review our lives, to ask ourselves where we are placing our security. Are we accumulating things… or experiences of love, service, faith? Are we being rich in God's eyes? We may not have large barns, but we do have hearts that can harbor resentment, selfishness, and a desire to possess ever more. Jesus invites us to empty those "barns" to fill them with what truly endures: love, mercy, generosity, and forgiveness.
A meaningful life gives us true peace, which means living in God, listening to him, serving our neighbor, and building the Kingdom with our hands. If you hear his voice today, do not harden your heart. Don't live only to accumulate. Live to love, give, share, and trust. Because that... that is worth it.
Reflection Questions
- In what ways might we be accumulating things—material or emotional—that distract us from what truly endures, such as love, mercy, and faith?
- How can we reorient our daily lives to focus not on self-sufficiency or success, but on becoming “rich in what is worth to God”?
