Daily Readings - Sun Aug 03 2025
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 are invited to reflect on the true meaning of life and the dangers of allowing material wealth to dominate our hearts. The first reading from Ecclesiastes reminds us that all earthly pursuits, no matter how successful, are ultimately fleeting and unsatisfying without God. The author laments the futility of toil and the inevitability of leaving behind the fruits of our labor, pointing to the emptiness of a life focused solely on earthly gains. This sets the stage for the second reading from Colossians, where St. Paul urges us to seek what is above, where Christ is, and to live as new creations in him. He calls us to renounce the old self with its vices and to clothe ourselves in the new self, renewed in the image of our Creator. This teaching finds its echo in the Gospel, where Jesus warns against greed and the illusion of security through wealth. The parable of the rich fool, who builds larger barns to store his goods but loses his soul, serves as a stark reminder that life is not measured by what we possess but by our relationship with God.
The readings are deeply interconnected, each shedding light on the others. Ecclesiastes reveals the emptiness of life without God, while Colossians offers the solution: living in Christ and being transformed by his grace. The Gospel then underscores the consequences of ignoring this truth, as the rich fool’s obsession with wealth leads to spiritual poverty. Together, these readings call us to reevaluate our priorities and to recognize that true wealth lies in our relationship with God and our love for others.
As we apply these readings to our daily lives, let us ask ourselves: What am I pursuing? Is it the fleeting treasures of this world, or am I seeking the eternal riches of heaven? Let us not be fooled by the illusion that happiness comes from possessions or power. Instead, let us strive to live as children of God, clothed in humility, kindness, and compassion. May we remember that our lives are not our own but are hidden with Christ in God. When we live with this perspective, we will find true fulfillment and peace, for Christ is everything, and in him, we have all we need.