July 31, 2016
18th Sunday Ordinary Time
At our priest convocation at Christ The king Seminary, I sat in a pew before Mass listening to two priests talking about their retirement. I was very attentive. One expressed a concern about renting – his rent increased considerably in one year. The other priest said: “Make sure you have a garage – you need protection during the winter.†But both agreed on something I didn’t expect: “Make sure you have easy access to go outside – for walking, for relaxing and for enjoying creation.†Our needs are not only financial and physical but also spiritual. Care for the soul.
Jesus tells a parable about a rich man. The harvest is so bountiful; his barns cannot hold the grain. He decides to build bigger barns! He may be a hard worker, but there is no mention of a wife, family or community; there is no mention of God, there is no appreciation that the “land produced a bountiful harvestâ€; there is no suggestion to share the grain and goods with others.
We may miss the humor of Jesus in the parable. The English translation reads: “I shall say to myself…†But the original Greek text reads: “I shall say to my soul: ‘Soul, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry’.†The rich man is foolish to think he can nourish his soul by possessing things.â€
What will the rich man say to his “soul†when his life is demanded? “Eulogy†means a “good word.†Eulogies that touch our hearts do not speak of how much money a deceased person has made or wealth he/she has acquired. Eulogies that inspire, speak of the person’s character, values, virtue, service, sacrifice, generosity, compassion, empathy, caring, integrity and fidelity. We can ask ourselves what will be said of us when we die. Perhaps we should take time to compose our own eulogy.
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17th Sunday Ordinary Time
