A Foolish Farmer’s Guide to True Wealth

Jesus uses a story of a foolish farmer to guide us to true wealth – God’s love.

What Blinds Us to God’s Love?

God’s love is the very substance from which we come, and it underpins our lives. Yet, our lives often fail to bear evidence of that reality. Our scripture passages today from Hosea, Colossians, and the Gospel of Luke all speak of actions, concerns, and things that prevent us from fully enjoying the lavish love God showers upon us.

The prophet Hosea shows us the nation of Israel, a people loved by God, turning to worship foreign gods. St. Paul warns the Colossian believers, who have died and risen with Christ through baptism, against giving in to “fleshly ways” that distance them from God. In the Gospel, a man is so consumed by a family feud over an inheritance that he completely misses God’s love, personified in Jesus, standing right in front of him.

Thomas Keating identified three essential biological human needs: security and survival, power and control, and affection and esteem. These needs are a good and essential part of our growth. However, when they begin to dominate our lives, they possess us and become our gods.

• The Gift Becomes More Important Than the Giver: We know the truth that everything we own also owns a part of us. Our possessions, like a house or a car, obligate us to work and care for them, which can diminish our freedom.
• The Desire to Control the Giver: We often want to control Jesus, expecting Him to be the solution to our problems and the answer to our questions. It can be a shock to realize He is more than that.
• The Gifts are Temporary, the Giver is Eternal: The farmer in the parable was a fool because he stored up treasures for himself but was not rich toward God. Our very life is a gift from God, and He can ask for it back at any point. True wealth is found in using our material possessions in obedience to God to relieve real needs in the world.

Call to Action: Seek the things above

Guard against greed and set your mind on things above, not on earthly things. Seek to be rich toward God by using your gifts in obedience to Him.