First reading Ephesians 2:1-10
Sinners are saved in Christ Jesus
You were dead through the crimes and the sins in which you used to live when you were following the way of this world, obeying the ruler who governs the air, the spirit who is at work in the rebellious. We all were among them too in the past, living sensual lives, ruled entirely by our own physical desires and our own ideas; so that by nature we were as much under God’s anger as the rest of the world. But God loved us with so much love that he was generous with his mercy: when we were dead through our sins, he brought us to life with Christ – it is through grace that you have been saved – and raised us up with him and gave us a place with him in heaven, in Christ Jesus.
This was to show for all ages to come, through his goodness towards us in Christ Jesus, how infinitely rich he is in grace. Because it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith; not by anything of your own, but by a gift from God; not by anything that you have done, so that nobody can claim the credit. We are God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus to live the good life as from the beginning he had meant us to live it.
Responsorial Psalm 99(100)
Gospel Luke 12:13-21
Fool! This very night your soul will be demanded of you
A man in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Master, tell my brother to give me a share of our inheritance.’ ‘My friend,’ he replied, ‘who appointed me your judge, or the arbitrator of your claims?’ Then he said to them, ‘Watch, and be on your guard against avarice of any kind, for a man’s life is not made secure by what he owns, even when he has more than he needs.’
Then he told them a parable: ‘There was once a rich man who, having had a good harvest from his land, thought to himself, “What am I to do? I have not enough room to store my crops.” Then he said, “This is what I will do: I will pull down my barns and build bigger ones, and store all my grain and my goods in them, and I will say to my soul: My soul, you have plenty of good things laid by for many years to come; take things easy, eat, drink, have a good time.” But God said to him, “Fool! This very night the demand will be made for your soul; and this hoard of yours, whose will it be then?” So it is when a man stores up treasure for himself in place of making himself rich in the sight of God.’
Rich in the Eyes of God
A man in the crowd asks Jesus to settle a family dispute over an inheritance. Instead of becoming involved in the dispute, Jesus uses the situation to warn the crowd about greed and the danger of placing their security in wealth. Jesus then tells a parable about a rich man whose land produces an abundant harvest. Rather than thanking God or sharing with those in need, the man plans to build bigger barns to store everything for himself. He believes his wealth will guarantee him a comfortable, carefree life. However, he fails to realise that life is temporary and that material possessions cannot offer lasting security.
This parable challenges us to examine what we truly value. The world encourages us to accumulate and keep more for ourselves, but Jesus calls us to become rich in the eyes of God by generously sharing who we are and what we have. By offering our time, talents, resources and lives to help those in need, we become instruments of God’s goodness.
Reflective question:
How can I generously share what God has given me with someone in need today?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year A” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD
