“Someone in a crowd said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to share his inheritance with me.’ He replied, ‘Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?’ He said to the crowd, ‘Take care to guard against all greed, for though a man may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.”
Without being fully aware, it is easy to fall into the trap of greed or avarice. Like the tiny squirrel, we gather and collect, thinking we are in need, cannot do without, and even forget what we have accumulated. The gospel teaching is a gentle reminder.
Consider all possessions as gift. I was not born with them and when the Lord calls me, they will be left behind. Our consumer society measures and praises what one possesses.
A good lesson for us is to look at the gift of health, of family, of service, as the riches we have. It is not what we have that counts, but what we do with the gifts we have been given. We should see what our children and grandchildren, their joy and accomplishments as treasures. Where my heart is, there is my treasure.