"Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher, vanity of vanity, all is vanity." The First Reading today points out the futility of working long and hard for the fruits of our labours only for them to be enjoyed by others after our deaths. Working so hard that our lives are filled with worry and stress that we get no sleep - this, too, is foolishness. In the Gospel reading Jesus attacks greed and accumulation of wealth, again, vanity. If all of this, which is so valued by the world, is vanity what counts? What is it that really matters? In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus declared: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Mtt 6: 19-21) The question I can ask myself is where, indeed, is my treasure? If I am working hard or accumulating wealth what is the purpose of it all? If my relatives and friends came to pack up my things and account for my assets after my sudden death what will they find? Will they read thank you cards given to acknowledge my generosity and encounter the tears of those bereaved by my passing or will they find a pile of useless trinkets and unspent money to be picked over by others like vultures tearing apart a carcass?
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