DECIMO OCTAVO DOMINGO DEL TIEMPO ORDINARIO 2025

¿Somos ricos en lo que importa a Dios o estamos acumulando bienes solo para este mundo pasajero? Queridos hermanos y hermanas, creo que esta es una buena pregunta con la que comenzar nuestra reflexión. Jesús nos aconseja acumular bienes en el cielo y no solo aquí en la tierra, porque nuestra vida no depende de lo que tenemos, sino de Dios. ¿Vivo solo para mí o me preocupo por los demás y por sus necesidades? Cuando tengo un excedente en mis finanzas, ¿qué hago con él? ¿Lo gasto en vanidades para mí o lo comparto con mi familia, los pobres y los necesitados que me rodean? ¿Pienso que mi vida depende de mis posesiones o de Dios? ¿Crees que cuando mueras, todas tus pertenencias irán contigo al Cielo?

Según Jesús, ésta es la respuesta de Dios a los que acumulan para sí y se creen dueños de su vida: «Insensato, esta misma noche vas a morir ¿Para quién serán todos tus bienes?».

Jesús quiere que recordemos que el propósito de nuestra vida en la Tierra es servir a los demás y no solo acumular riquezas para nosotros mismos. La pregunta esencial es: ¿estoy viviendo mi vida solo para mí o me preocupo por los demás? El mejor ejemplo de alguien que vivió para los demás es Jesús, que no vino a este mundo para ser servido, sino para servir. Otros ejemplos pueden ser: San Pablo, Santa Teresa de Calcuta, San Francisco, San Ignacio de Loyola, Martin Luther King, Gandhi y el obispo San Romero, entre muchos otros, no vivieron para sí mismos, sino para los demás.

Las lecturas de este domingo nos invitan a reflexionar sobre el sentido de nuestra vida en la Tierra: ¿qué sentido tiene todo lo que hacemos?, ¿merece la pena agotarnos por el trabajo y la familia?, ¿qué es lo que realmente tiene sentido en este mundo?

Creo, queridos hermanos y hermanas, que la mayoría nos hemos hecho estas preguntas muchas veces a lo largo de nuestra vida. En las lecturas de hoy encontramos dos respuestas a la finalidad de nuestra existencia. Una la encontramos en el libro del Eclesiastés, que nos ofrece una visión negative de la vida y afirma que todo es vanidad, que nada tiene sentido y que todo se disuelve en la nada. La segunda nos ofrece una visión positiva, que es la propuesta de Jesús y del apóstol Pablo: vivir una vida cuyo sentido no provenga de la búsqueda de riquezas y cosas materiales, sino de la búsqueda del Reino de Dios y de su justicia.

No se trata, pues, de ser rico ante el mundo, sino ante Dios. Por eso, el apóstol Pablo nos dice: «Ya que han resucitado con Cristo, busquen los bienes de arriba, donde está Dios». Es decir, hacer que los valores que Cristo predicó se conviertan en nuestros valores. Jesús advertía a sus oyentes del peligro que suponía el deseo de acumular riquezas materiales y dejarse llevar por la codicia, que solo lleva a una vida malgastada y perdida para Dios.

Por el contrario, Jesús nos propone una vida de servicio, de compartir lo que tenemos con los demás y de valorar a las personas por encima de los intereses personales. En lugar de acumular solamente para nosotros mismos, Jesús nos invita a compartir con los demás lo que está a nuestro

alcance y lo que tenemos, liberándonos de la codicia para servir a los más necesitados.

Según la sociedad consumista en la que vivimos, el único sentido de nuestras vidas viene dado por la cantidad de posesiones que tenemos o por la frecuencia con la que el camión de reparto de Amazon visita nuestra casa. Según Dios, el valor de nuestras vidas radica en vivir los valores del Reino de Dios aquí y ahora. Hay cinco ideas que el hombre rico de esta parábola olvidó, y que a veces también olvidamos nosotros:

Primero: somos administradores de nuestras posesiones. Segundo: no somos dueños de nuestro futuro. Tercero: El sentido de nuestra vida no depende de lo que tenemos, sino de Dios. Cuarto: necesitamos contar con Dios a la hora de tomar decisiones. Quinto: hoy es el mejor día para descansar, disfrutar, pasar tiempo con Dios, con nuestras familias y amigos, porque nunca sabemos lo que pasará mañana.

Terminemos con esta pregunta: ¿cuál es la mejor inversión que estoy haciendo con mi vida? ¿Me dejo llevar por la sociedad de consumo o pienso y actúo según Jesús y sus enseñanzas? Amén.

P. Luis Segura

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EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME 2025

Are we rich in what matters to God, or are we accumulating possessions only for this passing world? Dear brothers and sisters, I think this is a good question to begin our reflection with. Jesus advises us to accumulate possessions in heaven and not only here on earth, because our life does not depend on what we have, but on God. Do I live only for myself or do I care for others and their needs? When I have a surplus in my finances, what do I do with it? Do I spend it on vanities for myself or do I share it with my family, the poor, and the needy around me? Do I think my life depends on my possessions or on God? Do you believe that when you die, all your belongings will go with you to Heaven?

According to Jesus, this is God's response to those who accumulate for themselves and believe themselves masters of their lives: "You fool! This very night you will die. Whose will all your possessions be?"

Jesus wants us to remember that the purpose of our life on Earth is to serve others and not just to accumulate wealth for ourselves. The essential question is: am I living my life only for myself, or am I concerned about others? The best example of someone who lived for others is Jesus, who did not come to this world to be served, but to serve. Other examples include Saint Paul, Saint Teresa of Calcutta, Saint Francis, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Martin Luther King, Gandhi, and Bishop Saint Romero, among many others. They did not live for themselves, but for others.

This Sunday's readings invite us to reflect on the meaning of our life on Earth: What is the point of everything we do? Is it worth exhausting ourselves with work and family? What truly has meaning in this world?

I believe, dear brothers and sisters, that most of us have asked ourselves these questions many times throughout our lives. In today's readings, we find two answers to the purpose of our existence. One is found in the Book of Ecclesiastes, which offers us a negative vision of life and affirms that all is vanity, that nothing has meaning, and that everything dissolves into nothingness. The second offers us a positive vision, which is the proposal of Jesus and the Apostle Paul: to live a life whose meaning comes not from the pursuit of riches and material things, but from the pursuit of the Kingdom of God and His justice.

It's not about being rich before the world, but before God. That's why the apostle Paul tells us: "Since you have been raised with Christ, seek what is above, where God is." That is, making the values Christ preached our own. Jesus warned his listeners of the danger of amassing material wealth and being driven by greed, which only leads to a wasted life and lost to God.

On the contrary, Jesus proposes a life of service, of sharing what we have with others, and of valuing people above personal interests. Instead of accumulating only for ourselves, Jesus invites us to share with others what is within our reach and what we have, freeing ourselves from greed in order to serve those most in need.

According to the consumerist society in which we live, the only meaning of our lives is determined by the number of possessions we have or the frequency with which the Amazon delivery truck visits our home. According to God, the value of our lives lies in living the values of God's Kingdom here and now. There are five ideas that the rich man in this parable forgot, and that we sometimes forget as well:

First: We are stewards of our possessions. Second: We are not masters of our future. Third: The meaning of our lives does not depend on what we have, but on God. Fourth: We need to count on God when making decisions. Fifth: Today is the best day to rest, enjoy, and spend time with God, our families, and friends, because we never know what will happen tomorrow.

Let's end with this question: What is the best investment I'm making with my life? Am I letting myself be carried away by the consumer society or am I thinking and acting according to Jesus and his teachings? Amen.

Fr. Luis Segura

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Being Rich in the Eyes of God…

In the Gospel of today’s liturgy, a man makes this request to Jesus: “Teacher, bid my brother divide the inheritance with me” (Lk 12:13). This is a very common situation. Similar problems are still commonplace. How many brothers and sisters, how many members of the same family, unfortunately quarrel over their inheritance, perhaps no longer speaking to each other!

Responding to the man, Jesus does not get into the details, but goes to the root of the divisions caused by the possession of things. He says clearly: “Take heed, and beware of all covetousness” (v. 15). What is covetousness? It is the unbridled greed for possessions, always desiring to be rich. This is an illness that destroys people, because the hunger for possessions creates an addiction. Above all, those who have a lot are never content, they always want more, and only for themselves. But this way, the person is no longer free: he or she is attached to, a slave of, what paradoxically was meant to serve them so as to live freely and serenely. Rather than being served by money, the person becomes a servant of money. But covetousness is a dangerous illness for society as well — due to covetousness, we have today reached other paradoxes: an injustice never before seen in history, where few have so much and so many have little or nothing. Let’s consider wars and conflicts as well. The lust for resources and wealth is almost always involved. How many interests are behind a war! Certainly, one of these is the arms trade. This trade is a scandal to which we must never resign ourselves.

Today, Jesus teaches us that at the heart of all this are not only some who are powerful, or certain economic systems. The covetousness that is in everyone’s heart is at the center. And so, let us try to ask ourselves: How is my detachment from possessions, from wealth going? Do I complain about what I lack, or do I know how to be content with what I have? In the name of money or opportunity, am I tempted to sacrifice relationships and sacrifice time with others? And yet again, does it happen that I sacrifice legality and honesty on the altar of covetousness? I said “altar”, the altar of covetousness, but why did I say altar? Because material goods, money, riches, can become a cult, a true and proper idolatry. This is why Jesus warns us with strong words. He says, you cannot serve two masters, and — let’s be careful — he does not say God and the devil, no, or even the good and the bad, but, God and wealth (cf. Lk 16:13). One would expect that he would have said that you cannot serve two masters, God and the devil. Instead, he says God and wealth. That wealth be at our service, yes; to serve wealth, no — that is idolatry, that is an offence to God.

And so, we might think, should no one desire to get rich? Certainly, you can; rather, it is right to want it. It is beautiful to become rich, but rich according to God! God is the richest of all. He is rich in compassion, in mercy. His wealth does not impoverish anyone, does not create quarrels and divisions. It is a richness that loves to give, to distribute, to share. Accumulating material goods is not enough to live well, for Jesus says also that life does not consist in one’s possessions (cf. Lk 12:15). It depends, instead, on good relationships — with God, with others, and even with those who have less. So, let us ask ourselves: How do I want to get rich? Do I want to get rich according to God or according to my covetousness? And, returning to the topic of inheritance, what legacy do I want to leave? Money in the bank, material things, or happy people around me, good works that are not forgotten, people that I have helped to grow and mature?

May Our Lady help us understand what the true goods of life are, the ones that last forever. [Synthesized from Pope Francis, Angelus, 31 VII 22]

Rev. Rajesh Peter M.S.C

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle C – 2025

“Teacher –  tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.”  

…My friends, the plain and simple truth is:   Nothing is permanent.  Everything changes.   

Some day – everything we own – everything we worked for all our lives – will belong to someone else. 

In the end, the only thing that will remain after death – is relationships… 

For those of us who were fortunate enough to have loving relationships with our now deceased relatives and friends, we continue to follow the example of their generosity – whether it be with tangible items or their generous giving of love, patience and understanding. 

Many people dream or intuitively sense that a deceased loved one is watching over them, guarding and guiding them to this day.  

These relationships are the legacy of the person who has died.

…..For those of us who were not fortunate to have loving relationships with those who have gone before us, now – today – is our opportunity to begin a legacy of love and generosity… 

The very last sentence in today’s gospel says it all: 

“God said to the Rich Fool:  ‘The things you have prepared – to whom will they belong ?’  Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves  but are not rich in what matters to God.”    

So – what matters to God ?

My friends, we were given Two Great Commandments.  These two commandments are what matters to God.  We know this because they came from the mouth and heart of Jesus the Christ.

• Love God.

• Love one another.

These are the crux of Jesus’ teaching.  Not only did Jesus teach these commandments, he gave us simple, yet profound examples of how to fulfill or carry out his commands:

• In Matthew 25: “I was hungry and you fed me.  I was naked and you clothed me.”

• In Luke 10:  Healing or caring for the sick, as did the Samaritan man who cared for a complete stranger, spending his own money to do so.

• And, in Luke 21:  Giving alms, as did the poor widow when she gave what little she had.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with possessions or money.  The danger is putting material goods in front of everything else – by being selfish and refusing to share them.

So, what do we do with our hard earned money and possessions ?

Today’s gospel makes it crystal clear.  Share with those in need.  Share our money and possessions throughout our lives with our family, our neighbors and the society we live in… 

And, yes even share with the world if we should be so blessed with abundant riches.

Sharing our life, caring for each other is not the pinnacle of  Christianity but it’s a good beginning.  If caring for each other were inherent in humanity, Jesus would not have had to command us to love one another…

Or, as Jesus said in Luke 17:

“When you have done all you have been commanded – say to yourselves: ‘We we have done no more than what we were obliged to do.’”

My friends, Jesus became human to teach us how to be human.  In today’s gospel he taught us that  “one’s life does not consist of possessions.”  Rather, what matters to God is relationships.

Time and time again Jesus taught us to “Love One Another.”  Because it is his desire that everyone be with him forever.