A couple of months ago it was reported that Prince Alwaleed bin Talal of
Saudi Arabia sued Forbes magazine in a London court for reporting his fortune as $20 billion. According to the prince, that is $9.6 billion less than his actual
wealth.
Possibly many people found this a laughing matter because most people believe
they would be very happy with a billion dollars - or a million – and would not
be bothered by whether the extent of their wealth was accurately known or not. I
suspect these notions may not be entirely true.
This Sunday's scripture readings – The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost – shed
light on common conceptions about abundance. In the Gospel Reading (Luke
12:13-21) Jesus says, "Watch out; be alert against all kinds of greed; for one's
life does not consist in the abundance of possessions".
Actually, in this statement, Jesus is saying: "Don't be hasty in your assumptions; greed is powerful and multifaceted; abundance and materialism do not, of themselves, translate into a meaningful life"
In the First Reading from Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23 the Teacher – or
"Preacher", or "Gatherer" - Qohelet, in Hebrew – laments the vanity of all of
life's restlessness in pursuit of all that we consider life's goals..The Hebrew
word translated "vanity" - "hebel" - literally means vapor; wind; or breath; something without physical form. Metaphorically hebel are things
that cannot be understood physically or mentally; hence, they are of no
substance.
When life is preoccupied with these pursuits, life itself becomes like them -
hebel. That is the message of the First Reading and it is the message of
the Gospel Reading: Life is more than the hebel that surrounds it.
The Epistle Reading (Colossians 3:1-11) frames the message in these words:
"Set your minds on things that are above..." Similarly, the psalmist (Psalm
49:1-11) cautions "those who put their trust in their goods, and boast of their
great riches".
The question that one needs to wrestle with is this: What is driving your
life?
Saudi Arabia sued Forbes magazine in a London court for reporting his fortune as $20 billion. According to the prince, that is $9.6 billion less than his actual
wealth.
Possibly many people found this a laughing matter because most people believe
they would be very happy with a billion dollars - or a million – and would not
be bothered by whether the extent of their wealth was accurately known or not. I
suspect these notions may not be entirely true.
This Sunday's scripture readings – The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost – shed
light on common conceptions about abundance. In the Gospel Reading (Luke
12:13-21) Jesus says, "Watch out; be alert against all kinds of greed; for one's
life does not consist in the abundance of possessions".
Actually, in this statement, Jesus is saying: "Don't be hasty in your assumptions; greed is powerful and multifaceted; abundance and materialism do not, of themselves, translate into a meaningful life"
In the First Reading from Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23 the Teacher – or
"Preacher", or "Gatherer" - Qohelet, in Hebrew – laments the vanity of all of
life's restlessness in pursuit of all that we consider life's goals..The Hebrew
word translated "vanity" - "hebel" - literally means vapor; wind; or breath; something without physical form. Metaphorically hebel are things
that cannot be understood physically or mentally; hence, they are of no
substance.
When life is preoccupied with these pursuits, life itself becomes like them -
hebel. That is the message of the First Reading and it is the message of
the Gospel Reading: Life is more than the hebel that surrounds it.
The Epistle Reading (Colossians 3:1-11) frames the message in these words:
"Set your minds on things that are above..." Similarly, the psalmist (Psalm
49:1-11) cautions "those who put their trust in their goods, and boast of their
great riches".
The question that one needs to wrestle with is this: What is driving your
life?
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