Today we hear Jesus Christ issuing a stern warning on the dangers of greed. He tells the parable of a rich man who “stores up treasures for himself instead of becoming rich in the sight of God.” Having had good returns on his harvest, this man had said to himself that he would pull down his barns in order to build bigger ones that would accommodate all his grains and his possessions. Little did he realize that he would die that very night and that all his possessions would be of no use to him.
While the fruits of the earth are good and given to us to be used wisely, our human nature has been corrupted by the fall and so we tend to hold onto them graspingly, becoming trapped by them, or thinking that they can provide us with security against the dangers that we face. This parable confronts us with the reality of death and with the fact that material wealth will be of no use to us when we die. Indeed, if we relate to it in a grasping, acquisitive way, it can even be a hindrance, for it prevents us from accumulating the spiritual treasures about which Christ speaks.
As we begin the Nativity fast in preparation for the celebration of the Incarnation of Christ at Christmas, we are called to be watchful and sober. This is a time for us to take stock of what life is really about. The reminder that we will die, possibly unexpectedly, is not meant to make us gloomy and depressed, but should rather help us to focus on the things that do endure beyond the grave. For true joy consists not in piling up possessions, but rather in being in a right relationship with God and with those around us and in using our possessions in a way that will benefit others.