GOSPEL REFLECTION BY FR. DOWNEY

     I have heard it said that, if we count Bible verses, we’ll learn that Jesus
talks more about money than about any other single subject …
including love. Quite honestly folks, I have neither the time nor the
inclination to tackle such a project, but Scripture scholars concur with the
truthfulness of this statement.
     In our Gospel today Jesus deals with the comical delusion that wealth
stored away translates into happiness and security. The problem lies not
with building a bigger barn, which is an intelligent response to a bountiful
harvest. It could have been a blessing for the poor, as the man shared with
them his good fortune. It could at least have led him to say “Now I can
relax and spend more time with my wife and children.” No hint of that here
today, only the notion that a full barn means happiness.
     Our Blessed Lord bursts that balloon with an announcement of death…
and the question: “The things you have prepared and stored, to whom will
they belong?” Note that Jesus has circled back around to what began this
passage, the request that He mediate an inheritance dispute. Jesus
declines, but He tells a story suggesting that both on earth and in the sight
of Almighty God, relationships matter more than finances.
     What is it today that you and I see as our “wealth”, and where do we
store it? Some good food for thought this week indeed. God bless you
and your families always.
                                                              Fr. David Downey