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The Romans used to say that money is like saltwater; the more you drink, the thirstier you become.
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To prove it, just look at the state of our world today. Half of the world’s wealth is held by just 1% of the world’s population! It’s mind boggling.
Greed has driven countries into war, split families apart, and cost many people their jobs.
The Romans were right. Money is like saltwater. The more we drink, the thirstier we become. More is never enough.
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But let’s not condemn the world’s 1% as if it’s “us versus them.” Any human heart can be lured by greed.
For example, by a show of hands, how many of us have heard about the two American teenagers accused of killing a police officer in Rome last week?
Allegedly, those boys stole a man’s backpack and demanded 100 euros for its return.
When they went to exchange it, two undercover police officers tried to arrest them. But the boys fought back, stabbing one of the officers to death.
Now these 19-year-old kids are facing life in a foreign prison. All for 100 euros.
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“You fools, this night your life will be demanded of you” (Luke 12:20).
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Like these American teenagers, the man in the Gospel loses his life because of his greed.
Only he’s not a college freshman. He’s an older, more mature man, who’s had plenty of opportunities to share his wealth with others.
But his success makes him increasingly selfish. Like drinking saltwater – the more he has, the thirstier he becomes. More is never enough.
“This is what I shall do,” he says. “I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones!”
“You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you.”
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How do you think people will remember him?
Think, in particular, about those who could’ve benefitted from his excess wealth – his family, his neighbors, his hired hands. What will they say about his life – his character?
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Perhaps they’d quote Jesus himself, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, but lose his soul?”
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In his book, The Road to Character, David Brooks makes a distinction between résumé virtues and eulogy virtues.
Résumé virtues are those things that define our lives externally – our test scores, the company we work for, the threads we wear, the size of our homes – all those things the world values.
Eulogy virtues, on the other hand, speak to our character – how kind, faithful, forgiving, and generous we have been. This is what people remember at the end of our lives – how well we have treated them.
In the case of the man in the Gospel, his life was filled with résumé virtues – most notably his wealth. But he had no character.
Though he was rich on the surface, he was empty within. This proved to be his fatal mistake, thinking he could buy his own happiness.
Deep down we all know that isn’t possible. Bigger barns will never be enough.
Often what we need is not more money, but more meaningful relationships. The deeper our relationships are, the happier we become.
It’s a lesson this man either never learned or tried to deny.
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What are our résumé virtues?
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And, more importantly, what are our eulogy virtues? How well do we treat others?
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“Be rich in what matters to God,” Jesus says. Namely, be rich in love, because love grows when it’s shared.
Money, on the other hand, is like salt water; the more we have the thirstier we become. It will never be enough.
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For today’s Mass readings, go to:
www. usccb.org