In today's Gospel parable, "The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully"--so as we see, the man was already rich, and now...he has acquired to many earthly goods that he no longer has enough space to store them all. The obvious solution, of course, is to tear down the old barns and to build bigger ones--then to spend the rest of his life enjoying the goods he has accumulated--to "eat, drink and be merry."
Probably most contemporary Americans would consider this to be a good plan, the achievement of the American dream. Truly we are inundated in our consumerist culture by get rich schemes--"How to Prosper in the Coming Hard Times"--how to achieve financial security and to retire early. In fact, the dignity of work has been denigrated and the cult of worldly pleasures and selfish pursuits raised to a high level.
But back to the parable: was it not God who blessed the rich man with such an abundance of goods? Rather than thanking God, however, and praising Him, the rich man considers this abundance to be his due, while thinking only of himself and the sensual enjoyment of this transient life.
Unfortunately, the one thing the rich man left out of his equation was the sure and certain fact that we are mortal--one day we must all die, and no one knows the day nor hour when God will demand our soul. It behooves us, therefore, to acquire treasures in heaven--to become rich toward God--because all things earthly shall surely pass away.
We are all but pilgrims and wanderers upon this earth, and whatever we possess is the gift of God. We are but stewards of these material blessings, and we must therefore strive to use them wisely--not to serve our own needs, but rather the needs of others. In this way we glorify God and acquire for ourselves treasure in heaven--which neither rust nor moths can consume.
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