18th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME C

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THE KIND OF HEART YOU HAVE



At first glance the gospel seems to be a warning against the rich.  Jesus gives the parable of a rich man who built bigger and bigger barns to store his harvest.   Then he relaxed, undisturbed and secure in his material wealth.  But that night, he died.  He had no time to enjoy his great abundance.  Well, others did it for him.

I think the gospel is not all about the rich.  It is for all of us, whether millionaire or simple folk.  Far from chastising riches, the Lord Jesus challenges all human heart. For today’s gospel, there are two types of hearts:  first, the heart that is afraid to lose and second, the heart that is ready to share.

Many of us have a heart that is full of fear and insecurity.  We fear that we do not have enough.  And so if we give, or share, then we will end up miserable. Some rich people think like that.  But surprisingly, even poor people behave likewise.

Afraid to lose, our goal is only to gain, to accumulate, to receive.  Material things become our guarantee of a stable present and a blissful future.  We stop relying on God, or do so only partially, since material things have replaced God in our lives.  This is very unacceptable before the God who lavishly provides.

So we become selfish.  We think only of our selves and our needs. Our hearts revolve around money, positions, influence.  Do you find yourself in this rut?  Remember Jesus’ words:  this night, these will be taken away from you!

Jesus points us to the heart pleasing to God:  the heart that is ready to give. There are really people who acknowledge that only God is the source of their blessings. And everything that happens is through his grace. So, whatever they possess, or attain in life is but an indication of God’s abundance overflowing into their lives. Maybe God’s blessings come in torrents, or in trickles.  Just the same, God is the source and destiny of all these.

 Because of this, are hearts are neither afraid nor threatened when we are required to share, to give, to surrender. We do not cling to material things or honorific titles.  We just become generous, ready to share, ready to serve. We live by the principle that God will continue to bless us if we bless others with what we have.  And the more we share, the more we receive from the God who cannot be outdone in generosity.

Each Sunday, don’t we come to church to ask God for a favor?  We ask to receive and get what we want or need in life.  It is time to ask also to become givers, sharers, servers and lovers.  The Lord is tremendously joyful when he chances upon trusting hearts that are not afraid to lose but rather hearts that are ready to give.

As you examine your own heart, what kind of heart do you have? 


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