Today’s Scripture Readings

Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.’ But he said to him, ‘Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?’ And he said to them, ‘Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.’ Then he told them a parable: ‘The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, “What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?” Then he said, “I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich towards God.’

In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us that life’s true richness isn’t found in what we accumulate, but in how we give. When a man asks him to settle a family dispute over inheritance, Jesus declines and in his usual manner, tells a parable instead of a wealthy farmer who builds bigger barns to store his harvest, only to lose his life that very night. His mistake wasn’t success but rather believing that more possessions would make his life secure. How easily we can fall into the trappings of life!

It’s a sobering story for us today, but also a freeing one. It invites us to see our own ‘barns,’ not just the physical kind, but the ways we store up our time, talents, and creativity. We sometimes hold back, waiting for a better moment or when life feels less full. Yet grace often moves in the ordinary, in the willingness to share what we already have.

In the days before a recent retreat I led for staff, I found myself wondering why I’d chosen to do it during such a busy time. No one expected it. But deep down, I knew it could offer something good for others, a space to breathe, reconnect, and find joy. That small act of giving turned out to be a gift that overflowed for everyone there, including me.

To be ‘rich toward God’ is simply that, recognising the abundance already within us, and choosing to pour it out for others. Have a blessed day.