When God created all things in this world, and He called them all “good.” We hear that very clearly in the Book of Genesis. So material stuff is not evil in itself. Jesus had some wealthy friends, owned an expensive garment, seamless and so nice his executioners drew lots for it rather than dividing it, and he lived a life that some of his critics called excessive with food and drink. He was obviously not an aesthetic hermit, living a life of poverty to cleanse the soul. The example that Jesus gives shows us that material things are not bad in themselves.
But having said this, material things do not lead us automatically to true happiness, either. We all know that we’re happiest when we are in a good relationship with those near and dear to us, regardless of their economic status. Jesus had many friends and disciples who owned little or nothing and he warned his followers frequently of the dangers associated with money. Our gospel lesson today is a good case in point. The two brothers who are arguing over the division of the family inheritance are both in danger of falling prey to the grasp of covetousness. They are placing the value of money over the value of brotherhood. Like so many of us, they think that money can give them more than it really can deliver. Taking care of our material needs are good. But big bank accounts, large investment portfolios and real estate deeds do not translate into rich character, and may even cheapen it. Money cannot buy happiness, peace, or real relationships. It is merely a means to an end, and the end can be either happiness or misery.
The rich farmer in the parable that we hear this morning does not appear to be a wicked man. As far as we can tell, he does not become wealthy by stealing, or cheating anyone. He just has a bumper crop one year, thanks to his hard work, but mostly thanks to the combination of factors he did not control – the proper amount of sun and rain on the soil, and the miracle of seeds opening up to become plants for harvest. These are all gifts from God and he has no control over them. His wealth would make him a real success story in our society. But Jesus calls him foolish. Why?
The farmer’s folly is that he failed to learn the lessons that material goods are supposed to teach. And what are those lessons? First, when we are blessed with material wealth we are supposed to respond with gratitude, aware that those goods are blessings, gifts from a generous God. Even if we worked hard for it, it still belongs to God in the end, is the result of the talents God gave us and the particular circumstance of life where he has placed us. We are only stewards, and we should hold wealth lightly and gratefully in our hands, not with a clenched fist or a hoarding spirit. We work no harder than the laborer in the Chinese mine who digs underground for 16 hours a day or the farmer in India or South America who toils under the hot sun all day, day in and day out, earning just pennies a day. Yes, our wealth should be a cause for gratitude to God.
Second, wealth is supposed to move us to generosity towards others. As God is generous with us, we are called to be generous in our praise of God and with those in need. Over and over again, we hear Jesus teach us that lesson. Think of the story of the rich man and Lazarus, and the warning Jesus gives when he says it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven, and the account of the Last Judgment where those who fed the hungry and clothed the naked were welcomed into God’s kingdom while those who didn’t were condemned to hell. If we understand that God wants some of the wealth he has entrusted to us to pass through us on its way back to him in praise and to someone else in need, we begin to understand the grace and the responsibility God has placed on us by allowing us to receive and to distribute His resources. This is one of the great gifts in life, to have the privilege of generosity with our material possessions. And if we learn these lessons, our possessions will bless us, but also enable us to become a blessing. And in that case, material goods are good indeed, and lead to a truly joyous life before God. So many of you demonstrate that you have learned this lesson well by participating so generously in the various collections we take up throughout the year to feed the hungry and care for the needy here in our own parish, throughout the archdiocese and, indeed, around the world. Your generosity to today’s second collection for the missionary Church in the distant Diocese of Pathanamthita in India, is a great example of it.
Sadly, tragically, the rich farmer in today’s parable had failed to learn the lesson Jesus is teaching us, and he died as he planned a long and selfish retirement, leaving all of his accumulated wealth for someone else to distribute. In the end, all of us will be separated from whatever goods we have failed to distribute. And for this reason, Jesus calls the rich farmer foolish. He had been given the opportunity to use his abundance to praise God as he shared his abundance with those upon whom the rain had not fallen. What a pity that he died without ever experiencing that joy!
In today’s first reading, we hear Qoheleth remind us that “all things are vanity!” It is only our relationships with others – and most important, with God – that endure forever. I wonder if the brothers who were arguing over the family inheritance – and for whom Jesus told today’s parable – got the point before it was too late. I hope they did. Let’s make sure that we do!