Dear Parishioners and Visitors,

In today’s Gospel episode, Jesus says to His disciples, the man who stores up treasure for himself in place of making himself rich in the sight of God is a fool.

Jesus then tells a parable about a wealthy farmer who worries about how to handle his plentiful harvest. The farmer reasons what he will do and then pleased with himself, he now plans to “take things easy, eat, drink and have a good time.” (Luke 12: 17-19)

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?” (Luke 12: 20)

What we own does not make us secure is the message of Jesus today. Henry David Thoreau observed that “Money is not required to buy one necessity of the soul.”

There is the story of a philosophy professor who asked his students, “Who is more satisfied, the man with ten children or the man with ten million dollars?” One student answered, “The man with ten children.” “Why?” asked the teacher. One student called out, “Because the man with ten children doesn’t want any more.”

My Dad was never one who confused wants with needs. Having grown up during the depression and the family having to live in need, he learned early on that you may want things, but they aren’t needs that are basic to life.

Real needs, as pointed out in our Bible, are such things as the need to forgive, to be of service to others and to always strive to abandon ourselves to the will of God.

Trusting in Jesus,

Fr. John

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