Meaning of Christian Life!

Monday, October 21, 2024

Eph 2:1-10; Lk 12:13-21

Today’s Gospel raises a philosophical question and prompts for an answer from the text itself.

Any reader who listens to Jesus’ story would be compelled to ask, ‘What is life all about?’

Though Jesus narrates the story of a rich man, what is glaring is the rich man’s inner emptiness. 

Leading a life without gratitude for the blessings of his material wealth, the rich man fools himself with a dissipated life as described by the words ‘eat’ and ‘drink.’

It is also interesting to note that Jesus shows the rich man indulging in self-talk. 

Not being able to acknowledge the divine blessing for his riches and relate to one of his neighbors, the rich man, who is distanced from both God and humans, could only indulge in self-talk. 

The repeated use of ‘I’ and ‘my’ by the rich fool only highlights his egotistical obsession, which eliminates God and neighbors from his life. 

Through this parable, Jesus demonstrates the deleterious effects of greed in the life of a disciple. 

Further, Jesus shows that his disciples cannot seek to fill this inner emptiness with amassing possessions. 

After exposing us to all these nuances in the parable of the rich fool, Jesus prompts a self-examination to ask ourselves, ‘What is Christian life all about?’

For Christians, life is meaningful only when we recognize God and help the poor and needy. 

Let us pray that we might learn from the rich man’s foolishness to honor God and love our neighbor.

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar