Liturgical Colour : Green
Be prepared for anything, for the Lord’s plans are not our plans, and His plans for us is not for us to know. That is the key message of today’s readings, particularly the Gospel. We cannot be complacent in our lives as well as in our faith. We must always be ever ready and be ever consistent in our lives, to uphold justice and righteousness at all times in our lives.
We may be quite fortunate in our lives, to be able to live comfortably, with all the things that we need and we desire being available to us at all times. We need not fear about what happens in life, because all had been taken care of, and we have many people who likes us. Such a perfect life indeed, and how many of us would certainly desire to reach that state as well.
Yet, if you had noticed, that in our world today, one of the greatest vices troubling all of us is the failure for us to feel enough, that is to feel that we have had our share and be satisfied. Instead, many of us never feel enough in our lives and in our daily lives. We often desire for more and more things, and tries to aim for higher and higher. Literally, many of us consider that there can be no limits to personal demands.
That is why, we tend to be like the rich man, who worked hard day and night, for the sake of his possessions, and accumulated much wealth in pride and arrogance. And when he is enjoying his lifestyle, the Lord came knocking at the most unexpected time, and all that the rich man had accumulated became nothing. And worse, that man will most likely descend into hell, and suffers eternal suffering there.
Why so? That is because, he has first not done what the Lord wants him, and indeed all of us, to do, which is to love and care for one another, as per His commandments. Although this was not explicitly stated, but given the situation, where the man seems to be highly preoccupied with his money and possessions, and therefore is likely to be ignorant of others around him, fully occupied with the effort to gather more and more money.
Once again, brethren, I want to reiterate that, being wealthy or having money is not a bad thing to do. Jesus did not condemn money nor the effort done to make them. What He condemned is the attitude which accompanies the process, that is if we forget everything else and became enamoured over money and possessions. As I have often mentioned, that money is good and beneficial, and it is not intrinsically evil. What is evil and what causes evil is the improper way in which we gain money, and in the way we use them.
What we can do, brothers and sisters in Christ, and indeed, what we should do, is that we have to build up not only our ‘banking account’ on earth, but also at the same time, we must build up our heavenly ‘bank account’. Someone who is rich on earth is not necessarily rich in heaven, and neither is someone poor on earth poor in heaven and vice versa.
Building up our savings in heaven is not easy, but all our effort will go a long way, in ensuring our salvation and eternal happiness in God. What we need to do is to follow what the Lord wants from us, that is to love, and love tenderly. That way, we are building up our account in heaven. We cannot forget to do so, even if we are busy with worldly things. Build a wealth that lasts and everlasting, not the temporal wealth and pleasures of the world.
May God continue to bless us with His grace and continue to love us dearly, and may we too remain in God’s loving embrace. Amen.
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 