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The Rich Fool


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.’

 Reflection
Jesus warns us against avarice, reminding us that life’s value isn't measured by possessions. The rich man mistakenly equated material security with soul-deep peace. However, death reveals the fragility of building a life solely on “bigger barns.” We are called to shift our focus from temporary abundance to eternal significance. Life is a gift to be shared, not a hoard to be guarded. True security comes from being rich in the sight of God through faith, love, and service.

 Question for Reflection
If God called for your soul tonight, would your current priorities reflect a life "rich in the sight of God" or one merely filled with temporary "grain and goods"?

 Prayer
Lord, free my heart from the lure of material security and the anxiety of accumulation. Help me to trust in Your providence rather than my own "barns." Teach me to be generous with what I have and to invest my life in things that matter for eternity. Amen.


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