But is not rich in what matters to God

Rm 4,20-25; C Le 1,69-75; Lk 12,13-21
21 OCTOBER

The goods of this world – both spiritual, intellectual and physical and material – are given by God with a precise purpose: making of them an instrument at the service of faith, hope and charity. Not only of charity, but also of faith and hope. It is urgent to know that spiritual charity in view of eternal light and the kingdom of God has always priority over material charity. Without bread you can even live. Never might one live without the true faith in the heart, the true love of God and the true hope of eternal life. Consuming one’s own goods at the service of salvation is pleasing to the Lord.

St. Paul wants Timothy to exhort those who have material goods to use them to have a treasure in heaven. How? Putting them at the service of faith, hope and charity.

Tell the rich in the present age not to be proud and not to rely on so uncertain a thing as wealth but rather on God, who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment. Tell them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, ready to share, thus accumulating as treasure a good foundation for the future, so as to win the life that is true life (1Tm 6,17-20).

Jesus teaches every man freedom from the goods of this world. The goods must be put to good use with diligence, intelligence, faith, love, hope and great holiness. Once they have been produced, they must be shared with those who lack them. Everything is from God, everything must be for him. The Lord gives. The gift given by Him to us is offered to the Lord. This also means seeking the kingdom of God and his justice to have the surplus.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be. “The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light; but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness. And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be. “No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat (or drink), or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they? Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span? Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was clothed like one of them. If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’ All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom (of God) and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil (Cf. Mt 6,19-34).

The goods of this world, transformed into works of faith, hope, charity, give the right to eternal life. Used only for us, in a selfish way, they exclude us from the eternal kingdom of God.

Someone in the crowd said to him, “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 the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God.”

The relationship is not between rich and poor. It is between rich and the Lord. God gives. We put the goods received at the service of faith, hope and charity and we will have his Paradise.

Mother of God, Angels and Saints make us use every good received at the service of the Gospel.