Daily Readings - Sun Jul 31 2022
Ecclesiastes
21because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.22What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun?23For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity.
Colossians
1If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.2Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.3For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.4When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.5Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.9Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices10and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.11Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
Luke
13Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."14But he said to him, "Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?"15And he said to them, "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."16And he told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man produced plentifully,17and he thought to himself, 'What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?'18And he said, 'I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.19And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.'20But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?'21So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God."
Sermon
In today's readings, we journey through a narrative that begins with the recognition of life's fleeting nature, moves to a call for spiritual transformation, and culminates in a cautionary tale about the dangers of materialism.
Ecclesiastes sets the tone by reminding us that all earthly endeavors, no matter how grand, are ultimately vain without a deeper purpose. This sentiment is echoed in the Gospel where Jesus tells the parable of the rich fool, a man so consumed by accumulating wealth that he neglects his spiritual well-being. Both readings challenge us to reflect on where we place our trust and value.
Colossians offers a transformative response to this existential question. It urges us to seek the things above, to live a life renewed in Christ, and to shed the old self with its earthly desires. This is not a call to reject the world but to engage it with a heavenly perspective, prioritizing love, compassion, and unity in Christ.
As we apply these teachings to our lives, let us remember that true wealth lies in our relationship with God. Let us cultivate detachment from material possessions and instead invest in eternal treasures through acts of love and generosity. May we live each day with hearts focused on heaven, trusting in God's providence and finding fulfillment in Him.