Take care to guard against all greed

20 OCTOBER (Lk 12,13-21)

Jesus is the only, universal mediator, not between man and man to give to one the will of the other or to get them to agree on things on the earth. For the things of the earth a very simple law is in force: you must not resist an evil person. If he wants the tunic, you also give him your cloak. If he forces you to go one mile with him, you will do two. This is the way of true peace. Nothing we brought to this earth when we were born and nothingwe will take with us. We found everything and we will leave everything. Into eternity we will take with us only the good works, the works of mercy, pity, compassion and alms.

The mediation of Christ the Lord is between God and every man. It is a mediation of truth, grace, prayer and holiness. Through Him all of Goddescends into the heart of man. For him the heart of a man, repentant and in need of eternal life rises up to God. Without Christ, God remains in hisheaven and man on earth, which is not his because it is of our heavenly Father. The earth was given to us in rent. It was given us so that we put it to good use, and we give half of the proceeds to the poor, because it is the part due to the Lord. The “Capital” is his, eternally his. It is not transferable “Capital”. Neither is it listed on the Stock Exchange. This is precisely the error of man: appropriating the “Capital” of God to make a use for his exclusive consumption according to the law of the most ruthless selfishness.

Never might the law of the earth be greed. It is against the nature of things. Against the law of God. If God is the “Sole owner” of the earth, if he hasleased to man, not one man, or to a group of men, it is right that his part of profit goes to him. The tenant cannot take possession of the entire harvest of the earth or of what he produces on it. The Lord never will allow this to happen and always takes what is his. His ways are arcane, hidden, mysterious, invisible, but He always comes and takes what is his. Then, how much he wishes that man freely, in a spirit of great love and perfect justice, gave to God what belongs to him by right of nature. Depriving God of his right is the greatest injustice. It is the injustice that makes us all guilty in his eyes. This duty of right also applies for the poor, the needy, the one who has nothing. He is also obliged to share what he receives with those who are poor like him. Sharing is s universal and perennial law. It applies to every man that lives on our earth.

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.”

God always puts to the test the truth of our justice. He orders the farmland to produce disproportionately, and it abounds in all things. Half of the product is of the Lord, that is, of the poor, the needy, those who have nothing and possess nothing. Instead, the man thinks that everything is his. His is an unnecessary heaping. He cannot consume all those goods, even if he were to live for a century. His greed is punished. God takes everything.Death deprives him of life and property. He loses the earth and loses heaven, because in the heaven of God one enters only if the right of the Lord has been fulfilled to the highest of justice. That is why Jesus came: to say to every man what the rights of his Father are. Rights of things and time. Even on time the Lord has a right to which he will not renounce. The Sabbath is His. It belongs to him by divine right. It must be given him, otherwise he will take even up to the last second.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints make us righteous before the Lord.