Parable of the rich fool

Today in the Gospel Jesus gives us the parable of the rich fool. This is how he calls him. We are the person in this parable. We are him because we normally act like this man. Jesus calls us fools because we are silly, because we won’t learn. We keep thinking that we are going to make a difference, that we are going to do something important, that will engrave our names in the golden book of history. We are wasting our time. We come naked from God and we go back to Him the same way. We cannot take anything with us. We would like to leave something behind, but all the things that we are doing here will disappear like a puff of smoke. We are thinking constantly about the things here on earth, forgetting that we are destined for eternity. Today’s readings remind us of this reality.

The first reading begins with this expression: “Vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!” They say that the literal Hebrew translation is more like this: Bubble of bubbles, everything is a bubble. A bubble looks beautiful when it blows around, transparent, effortless in its movements; we would like to hold it, but when we touch it, it pops up and disappears. It is a great comparison for what our society has to offer: an empty bubble which is going to burst sooner rather than later. Anything we look for on the net is just an electric spark stored in the cloud, that has a very limited life.

In the second reading Saint Paul tells us: “Seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.” At the beginning of the Preface of the Mass, the priest is telling us the same, trying to direct our eyes towards heaven, to what is above our heads, saying: “Lift up your hearts!” And we answer earnestly: “We lift them up to the Lord!” In the Gospel acclamation we are reminded of one of the beatitudes: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” How could our hearts be blessed if they are attached to earthly things? Is my heart in material treasures or in spiritual ones? They say there are three kinds of currencies: paper, crypto and spiritual. Which one are we using most? There is only one which can be stored in heaven.

We are the man of the parable, saving money for the future, thinking about our retirement, making plans without knowing what is going to happen. We are gathering things in cupboards that are going to be emptied at the end of oir lives. It is amazing how much stuff we have in our homes. We are only earthly vessels, made of clay or of glass, easily to break and shatter. And we have a secure place to store things in heaven, a safe box “where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.” South Africa teaches us that nothing is secured, that if it can be moved, it will be stolen.

From the life of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, we have this description of his conversion: “When Ignatius reflected on worldly thoughts, he felt intense pleasure; but when he gave them up out of weariness, he felt dry and depressed. Yet when he thought of living the rigorous sort of life he knew the saints had lived, he not only experienced pleasure when he actually thought about it, but even after he dismissed these thoughts, he still experienced great joy. Yet he did not pay attention to this, nor did he appreciate it until one day, in a moment of insight, he began to marvel at the difference. Then he understood his experience: thoughts of one kind left him sad, the others full of joy.” Things of this world are not fulfilling. We are made for more.

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