Dear Parishioners and Friends,

In today’s Gospel Jesus brings out the essence of greed.  Greed is a sign of lack of confidence in God, a kind of idolatry. Will money take care of us better than God? Despite the fact that we know the answer, most of us do not indicate that we put more trust in God than in small sheets of papers with the words: “In God We Trust”.  Paul wrote to the Colossians: “Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry.”  (Col: 3,5). If you have an uncontrolled fear about your material situation, this is a sign that you do not trust Jesus! Different rules operate in the spiritual world: search for the Kingdom of God, and God will look after you in your poverty on Earth. He will find you and give you all that you need.

Christ’s speech began after a conversation with a man who came to complain about his unfair brother.  It is astonishing that Jesus did not interfere in this matter. Greed divides people and destroys us from within. It separates us from each other and from God! Jesus does not get caught up in the trap of taking extra responsibility for someone else’s life. Then, the parable about the greedy man follows. This is the parable about insatiability. When you have some material things, you want more! When you have more, you still need much more! And so on! Insatiability is redirected from the realm of the spiritual life to the material. Sometimes, behind the mask of great investments, the love of comfort, gluttony and drunkenness is hiding. The selfishness of the greedy person is amazing. All of his work and accomplishments are only for himself to improve his fate.

From the beginning, the Bible has instructed us to love thy neighbor. It is a concern for the wellbeing and the uplifting of others, thinking about someone else’s needs, and acting on his or her behalf. Hence, frequent encouragement to care for orphans, widows, immigrants, and elderly people.  Similarly, our relationship with God – loving Him is to meet with Him face to face, in the most hidden and isolated conditions. In void, in the dark, alone, and not in palaces and courts. God loved poverty as a place of meeting with someone and He chose the poor as His closest friends! Moses and Elijah met Him face to face in the desert, away from the noise of the world. Salomon dismissed himself from God in his palace full of gold and precious stones. David sinned when he lived in a comfortable house in Jerusalem.

The Bible urges us to almsgiving. It is the second way of acquiring savings for all eternity! We get money to share, not to create divisions between ourselves. Alms take away sins and greed produces it. May the Lord reward all who worship in and support our parish and the beautiful campaign “To Teach Who Christ Is.” God Bless You!