The Gospel this weekend reminds us to consider the age old wisdom, “You can’t take it with you”. Every one of us has known someone in our lifetime that seemed to have everything they wanted only to die lonely and unhappy. God has given us everything we need to live a good life and yet for many people we know what God gives is never enough.

I believe that somewhere or somehow early in life children should be taught the difference between needs and wants and that the difference should be reinforced by parents at every stage of a child’s development. It is no surprise that business and industry expend great resources to find out what our individual WANTS are and then pander to those wants everyday of our lives.

The internet has intensified this experience a thousand fold and by the mere click of a mouse those wants can be satisfied at anytime of the day or night anywhere in the world whether for good or bad. Navigating such a world is increasingly difficult for so many people. The words of Jesus in the Gospel are as timely today as when he first spoke them. Perhaps the wealthy man in the Gospel was a hoarder long before anyone knew what it was.

The lesson is very clear…thank God each day for love in our lives, joy in our hearts, peaceful days and the courage to live a forgiving life and be a witness to this Gospel…