Be Truly Rich, Invest in Love

Scripture:  Luke 12:13-21
13 One of the multitude said to him, "Teacher, bid my brother divide the inheritance with me." 14 But he said to him, "Man, who made me a judge or divider over you?" 15 And he said to them, "Take heed, and beware of all covetousness; for a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." 16 And he told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man brought forth plentifully; 17 and he thought to himself, `What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?' 18 And he said, `I will do this: I will pull down my barns, and build larger ones; and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.' 20 But God said to him, `Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' 21 So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."

The Rich Fool
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Reflection: When can you say that a person is successful? When he/she has a six figure monthly salary?  Being a top executive in a large corporation? Owning top of the line techie gadgets? Wearing signature clothes and shoes? Driving a fancy car? There is no doubt that achieving all of the above means that you have "arrived".



In view of our consumerist and materialistic outlook, it is nice to recall and reflect on a quote from Blessed Mother Theresa: "At the end of our lives, we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, or how many great things we have done. We will be judged by 'I was hungry and you gave me food to eat, naked and you clothe me, homeless and you took me in'. God will one day judge us if we have been successful in living our lives and His basis will be: How much have we loved.

The wise man lives a life of love. Love for God and love of neighbor. A fool according to Jesus is someone who stores up treasure for himself and has not enriched his relationship with God and others. True success is not measured based on our net worth but on the amount of love in our relationships especially in our relationship with God.

How can we nurture loving relationships? It is in giving of ourselves---our time, talent, and treasure. God has been consistently generous in sharing His blessings with us because He wants us to have something to share with those who don't have enough. God intends for each and everyone to be a blessing to one another. And being a blessing means being an instrument of God's love. The more we love and share, the more God blesses us, so that we could be a bigger blessing to others.

May God heal us of our selfish nature so that we may allow ourselves to be His instruments of love.