“NO TO GREED”

18^th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Eccles 1:2; 2:21-23; Col 3:1-59-11; Lk 12:13-21

I watched a “Discovery Channel” on the television. I have learned how the natives in Africa catch monkeys. They made a little hole on the tree. They put some food inside it. After maybe an hour the monkey came by. And the monkey found the food inside the hole. That must be a delicious food! So the monkey put its hand into it. It took the food in the hole and grabbed it. But, the monkey couldn’t withdraw it! It tried its best but it was all in vain! The monkey cannot open its hand and let go of the food on his hand. It can’t put its fingers out, because if it did, it would drop its food. So then, a native African came and catch the monkey!

Thousands of us are like that monkey, so busy holding on to our own possessions. We can’t let go of the material possessions. We have experience many moments of greed in our life. We have something but we don’t give it to those in need. We have some money in our pocket but we don’t want it to lend to others. We also need it and we need even more. We may think, “I really work hard for it. Why give it to others?” We can afford but we refuse to spend. We become selfish. We become greedy!

All three readings of today referred to material possessions. Money, property, possessions are very important for the living of our human lives. But a wrong attitude to these things can have terrible consequences - the consequences of greed. The first reading says, “Vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!” For the writer, looking at things from a merely human point of view, life seems useless. Abundance of material doesn’t make our life meaningful. Human fulfillment will not be found in the things that are on the earth alone. We can only be found in 'the life we have with Christ in God' as Paul mentioned in his letter to the Colossians. Paul said, “Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.”

Jesus warns us to “take care to guard against all greed.” Greed is the sign of lack of love of God in our lives. A rich man thinks he can control his own destiny by money, wealth and possessions. He has no thought of sharing it with the poor and less fortunate. Such a man is not rich in the eyes of God.

Money and possessions are important for our benefit and of our family. However, we are reminded that these material possessions don’t make our life meaningful. We have to learn to share it and give it to others.

Take a look at your hands. Are they closed like the monkey that can’t let go of the food? Closed hands cannot pray. Closed hands cannot care. Closed hands cannot give. Closed hands are greedy. God invites us now to open our hands – to become rich in the eyes of God by giving and sharing. We must learn to say, “No to greed!”