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FAITH SHARING
Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Where is Security?
INVITATION TO PRAY
Pause for a few moments of silence
and enter more deeply into the presence
of God.
Song: "The Lord Hears the Cry of
the Poor," John Foley, Gather, Glory and
Praise
Proclaim the Gospel of Luke 12:13-21
Parable of the Rich Fool
As you listen to the gospel be
attentive to a word, a phrase, a
question, an image, or a feeling
that emerges. Reflect on this
quietly or share it aloud. (The
other readings for this Sunday are
Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2: 21-23; Psalm 90;
and Colossians 3: 1-5, 9-11.)
INVITATION TO REFLECT
A sobering moment is
interrupted by what appears to be a
trite exchange. Jesus and his disciples
are on the road to Jerusalem. They have
been discussing the serious implications
of the road ahead. Jesus is asked to
settle a rather mundane issue regarding
inheritance. Luke uses this vignette as
a teachable moment on the seductive
power of material possessions.
Excessive concentration on material
goods is human nature's way of dealing
with the ambiguities of life and its
fleeting nature. The rich man in Jesus'
parable believed that his over abundant
crops would buy his future security. In
the end they provided nothing. His
security was misplaced.
Material possessions do not
offer security. Our security rests in
God alone. We are to spend our lives
promoting the reign of God on earth as
we await the reign of God to come. Life
is our greatest gift. The challenge of
the gospel is to put our energy and our
trust in things that do not perish. And
place our security in God, the Lavish
Giver of all Gifts.
Christians are invited to
let go of their attachment to material
possessions. The disciples were not
only invited to let go of the fear of
their futures and to divest themselves
of their attachments, but also to turn
their lives over completely to the
Master of their destiny. Only then
would they know true freedom as God's
children. The amassing of wealth for a
future day is not a response of faith
according to Luke.
Today's gospel asks us the
difficult question: "Have we been more
evangelized by the gospel of rugged
individualism than we have been by the
gospel of Jesus Christ?" A response in
faith to the living God who provides and
cares for his people is to lay down our
lives for one another and to be generous
in sharing our wealth with those in
need. Spiritual freedom allows
Christians to share what they have with
others, especially those who hold a
special place of honor in Jesus' heart –
the poor, the oppressed and
marginalized.
INVITATION TO GROUP SHARING
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What are some ways our society is
seduced by material possessions?
What are the symptoms of such
seduction?
-
Have I ever been seduced by material
goods? How does the story of the
rich man speak of my life or my
experience? What (if any) are the
attachments in my life?
-
Is God the center of my life and the
master of my destiny?
-
What are the inherent challenges of
today's gospel for the community and
for me personally?
INVITATION TO ACT
Determine a specific action
(individual or group) that flows from
your sharing. These should be your
primary considerations. When choosing
an individual action, determine what you
will do and share it with the group.
When choosing a group action, determine
who will take responsibility for
different aspects of the action. This
should be your primary considerations The
following are secondary suggestions:
-
Spend at least ten minutes a night
in prayer and reflection to
determine where the areas of
excessive attachment to material
goods exists in your life, and to
pray that the obstacles to your
relationship with God be removed.
Take action to rectify this.
-
Do the poor enter into your
discussions about the way in which
your money is managed? Are there
provisions for the poor in your
portfolios? Are there any projects
at Prince of Peace or wider
community which support the needs of
the poor? Perhaps your group might
be willing to initiate or
participate in such a project. What
about helping out with the branch of
the St. Vincent De Paul at Prince of
Peace?
-
Determine the ways in which your
life is overly materialistic and
take one small step each week to
change. For example, do you have
ten sweaters when you only need two
or three? Are there clothes and
goods around your home that need to
be sorted and given to the poor?
-
Enter into a relationship with one
poor person or family in your
community. Befriend them, as Jesus
did. Resolve to not "do" for them,
but concentrate on "being" with
them.
CLOSING INVITATION TO PRAY
Give thanks to God (aloud or
silently) for new insights, for desires
awakened, for directions clarified, for
the gift of one another's openness and
sensitivity. Conclude with the
following prayer:
God of Life, all things are of your
making. You provide us with every good
gift. You bless us with the abundance
of the earth and you ask us to be
stewards of that abundance. Help us to
put you first in our lives. Teach us
that all that we have comes from you.
Give us the strength to resist the
seductions of this world, and gift us
with your compassion, so that we may
share your gifts with all the children
of the earth. We ask this through
Christ, our Lord. Amen.
(Adapted
from PRAYERTIME, Cycle C: Faith-Sharing
Reflections on the Sunday Gospels,
Robert Heyer, editor. Copyright © 2001
by RENEW International.)
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