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…![]()
This is one of my favorite gospels…particularly the part about not cluttering up your life with things, useless talk and gossip. Jesus is entrusting His disciples with the precious gift of the proclamation of the good news and He wants their total attention to be focused on preaching and proclaiming to all whom they meet.
I have often commented, and thought, about the relevance of the gospel message to our own lives. In this present age, the word I like to use is distracted. We are so distracted by all the noise and activities that permeate our lives every day. I am sure we have often asked ourselves the question—how much of this is really necessary to what I have to do today? The answer is inevitably…not much.
What we wish for is peace and hope for ourselves and for others whom we love. This is exactly the proclamation that Jesus proclaims in the gospel, “Peace to this household.” The key for each of us is to discern the difference between our needs and our wants. We have most of what we need, much of it God given, but wants can be without end because as I often say, “The world wants to sell you stuff.”
Ultimately, our lives should be about fulfilling our needs in union with the creator and enriched through the salvation won for us by Jesus His Son.![]()