The Danger of Covetousness.

Monday 21^st October 2019. Read Romans 4:20-25, Luke 1 and Luke 12:13-21)_

_“But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” *(Luke 12:20-21)*_

To be covetous is to live in a world of I, me and myself; a world where I care only for one person – me. To be covetous is to be like the rich man in the parable Jesus gave to us in today’s Gospel passage who thought only about himself in his plan to enjoy his riches.

The man said to himself: “What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops? … I will do this, I will pull down my barns and build larger ones…” In pulling down his barns, he was willing to waste forgetting that there are so many people who cannot even afford what he was about to throw away.

What is the cure for covetousness? It is faith to remember that when we give to others, we are not losing anything but storing up treasures for ourselves. We need strong faith to know that no one ever became poor by giving to the needy. We need faith to recognise that there is a better home for us more precious than this earthly dwelling.

This was the type of faith Abraham had and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. By preparing for heaven that no one has ever seen, by being kind and generous to the poor even when we are not expecting to get anything back from them, we are acting like Abraham who kept waiting for the promise of a son even at his old age.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus Christ, you gave your life for me, teach me to live not only for myself but for others. Amen.

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Monday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time. Bible Study: Romans 4:20-25, Luke 1 and Luke 12:13-21).