Sunday Readings for August 2-3, Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Lyn Zahorik | For On Mission
This weekend’s Gospel tells the story of the rich man who acquired wealth solely to acquire more wealth. It caused me to reflect on accumulation.
I enjoy going to estate sales. My mantra is, “I am seeking out things I never even knew I needed.” I am thrilled when I can rescue an item I will enjoy, if only for a short time, before it makes its way to a St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store. In the excitement and thrill of the hunt, I always experience a few sobering moments.
Someone lived and loved in this house. They spent years acquiring items to make housekeeping, cooking, and cleaning more efficient and easier. Bookshelves strain under the weight of cookbooks. Linen closets are filled with stacks of towels and sheets. Basements reveal bins of holiday decorations. Throughout the house, there are knickknacks, collectibles and quirky souvenirs. Sometimes, there is a photo album or a box of old letters. All of these things, once a valuable part of someone’s life, lie exposed to the hordes of would-be pickers and collectors.
The message of the Gospel is clear: Everything we accumulate will one day become nothing more than someone else’s bargain.
Having pretty things around me makes me smile. I enjoy looking at antiques and imagining the stories they could tell. Yet, each year, when the time comes to pack my ten Christmas bins, it feels like a burden. Suddenly, I am not so merry.
So, is Jesus telling me to stop collecting? Absolutely not. That is my story, and I am sticking to it!
However, “The Parable of the Rich Man” invites us to reconsider what we’re building our lives around. Are we filling barns, or are we filling our hearts? Possessions often promise comfort and security, but they can quietly begin to define our personal worth. We worry about the destruction of our property and try our best to save it, instead of enjoying it.
My mother had beautiful china dishes, brought out only for special occasions. Now, still carefully packed in a special case, that china sits at the back of my closet. If only we had used the good china instead of fearing it might get chipped.
When we practice stewardship, rather than ownership, our hands remain open, and our hearts stay light. Everything we have is temporary. Entrusted, not earned. It’s not mine forever. It’s mine for now — to use wisely and to share freely.
The Gospel challenges us to be “rich in what matters to God.” Being rich in God means living with eternity in mind — knowing that what we do with our time, talents and treasure echoes beyond this life. To be rich in the sight of God is to live a life that treasures what God treasures. There, the currency isn’t money, but Gospel possessions: relationships, justice, mercy, humility, faith, generosity and the spreading of the love and truth of Jesus.
Lyn Zahorik is the director for spiritual engagement at St. Mary Parish, Omro, and St. Mary Parish, Winneconne.
The readings for Sunday, August 3, can be found at Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time | USCCB.