HOMILY FOR MONDAY 29TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME B
{Ephesians 2:1-10;Luke 12:13-21}
One thing about our Christian calling is that we do not live for ourselves. When we do that, we are paying attention to our own desires and when we do that, we tend to forget God and worst still, people around us. This is said to be selfishness. In the gospel reading, Jesus teaches the audience the folly of greed and selfishness. He declares that the criterion for Heavenly bliss is not earthly wealth but how we share what we have with others. In the parable, God calls the rich man “fool” because:
1) he has evicted God from his heart, enthroned money instead, and worshipped his wealth;
2) he has also evicted his brothers and sisters in need from his heart because there is place in it only for his wealth;
3) he has filled his heart with himself and has become greedy;
4) he has forgotten that he will die one day and lose all his possessions.
Dear brothers and sisters, we need to share our blessings with others because all these things have been loaned to us by God, and so we are accountable for their use.
1) We must be generous in sharing our time, our treasure, and our talents, the three elements of Christian stewardship.
2) We need to control our greed because it diverts our life and energies from loving God and from serving and loving Him in other people to loving ourselves alone.
Greed takes different shapes and forms in different people. For some it may be the desire for the approval and praise of others. For others it is the uncontrolled desire for power, control, or fame. For still others it takes the form of desire for excessive and sinful indulgence in eating, drinking, gambling, drugs or sexual activities. Hence, let us rely on the strength of God to free us from all forms of greed.
Pax Vobis
Catholic Diocese of Ilorin, Kwara State,
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