Walking with Jesus: 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

For Sunday, August 3, 2025

Ecclesiastes 1:2, 2:21-23; Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11; Luke 12:13-21


Let me ask you a question: What is your life like? I ask the same question of myself: What is my life like as I approach my 84th year, my 58th year in priesthood and in “retirement” (whatever that is)?

I’m sure many would reply that the pace of their lives is hectic. It really is hectic. We are constantly on the move, filling our calendars with appointments — doctors, business and friends. Our society is very mobile, speeding from one place to another. Our daily living is driving kids around … caring for elderly parents and/or relatives … helping where we can in parishes, communities, hospitals, nursing homes, volunteer work, and so on. Life seems to be a set of problems to be solved, worked out — and we are “programmed” — “geared” — to get things done quickly. Our days are never long enough. We are surrounded by cell phones, tablets and computers which crave our constant attention. Our society is affluent: More and more “possessions” are now necessities, not luxuries. We want so many things for our homes and loved ones, and we are so caught up in these things that we seem to have no time or inclination to ask other questions of life. We know God is love, created each of us out of love and needs us to be people of love — to love God, self, and neighbor. Easy, right? How?

The readings pose some fundamental questions to help us. To what do we commit ourselves? Where are our hearts? What is most important in life? These bring us back to the basic questions of life: What is the meaning of life? Where do we find our fulfillment? We are disciples — followers — believers — in Christ’s life and God’s command. How am I doing with this right now?

Ecclesiastes is actually a heartless exposure of what human life is apart from God. It is not really a religious reflection but rather a materialistic assessment of life. Jesus talked about the Good News that God loves us all, just as we are. Ecclesiastes is not so much Good News as it is the Bad News that needs to be heard before we can be open and responsive to the Good News. We can gain good things from our wisdom, knowledge and skill, but after we die will all our work be in vain? This is not very encouraging. The author tells us that we must not work solely for recognition by others, but rather be selfless and generous and kind. The author adds an interesting question to all our labors in life: What did they get me? When the author speaks of “vanities” it also means impermanence. The real fruits of our labor are found in the laboring itself rather than in what we might be able to enjoy of them in the future. Ask: Where is God? Am I grateful and loving? Am I open to living Jesus’ life of caring, living, forgiving, showing compassion and love?

Let’s jump to the Gospel before Paul’s remarks to the Colossians tie everything together.

In the Gospel, Jesus is approached by a man who wants Him to act as arbiter between himself and his bother. The dispute is over inheritance but Jesus points out that it is really about greed. Jesus is bringing out the futility of a life spent in amassing material possessions. This is not foreign to us. Is this a lesson teaching something deeper about life? This parable is so on-point with Jesus’ conclusion: “You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you, and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong? Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich in what matters to God.” [Luke 12:21] What is essential is: “What matters to God?” If we think that amassing possessions, wealth, etc., is what God wants, then our God differs from the God proclaimed by Jesus in Luke and the other gospels.

Now on to Paul, who starts his discourse in the imperative form: “If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above …” [Colossians 3:1] He is contrasting heaven’s reality with earthly existence. The things above are the things of God — things that are essential for salvation, things with ultimate meaning.  Then Paul lists some of the vices: Four are sexual in nature, the fifth more general. So we are to “put to death” the behaviors that conform to the world’s ways and “put on the new self” which is baptismal language that reflects the image, life and love of Jesus. “Am I rich in what matters to God?” [Luke 12:21] Do I even take time to reflect on this? Why not? What am I afraid of? Why do I keep putting it off? Basically it asks: Do I really want heaven?

So I reflect on:

• Am I thinking only of myself, never taking God or others into account?
• I look at “the riches I’m storing.” Why am I gathering and storing them? Am I including God in my gratefulness and my sharing? How can I strengthen these?

Sacred Space 2025 states:

“So many measure their worth by the amount of wealth they have accumulated. We have heard it said that there are no pockets in shrouds. In the end, we must let go of all our possessions. How often we put aside thoughts of eternity and the fact that we know not the day not the hour of our leaving this earth.

“On the tombstone of a youth in County Armagh the following words were written: ‘All you who come this grave to see / As I am now so you shall be. / Prepare in time, make no delay, / For I in my bloom was called away.’ Let us pray for the grace to be ready when our God calls us home.”