A reflection on Luke 12:13–21 for Monday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time.
The rich man in Jesus’ parable has a really great harvest. That seems like the sort of news you would want to share. Yet when he decides what to do next, he talks only to himself. He asks himself where to put the crops. He tells himself to build bigger barns. Then he tells himself to relax and enjoy what he has stored away.
I understand how it can feel good to have an internal conversation. When something goes well, I want to decide what it means before anyone else has an opinion. If there is extra money, a little free time, or an opportunity I did not expect, I can quickly find a place for it in my plans. I might even include some generosity in those ideas. But I want them to spring from my own thoughts.
Jesus probably isn’t criticizing the farmer for storing a harvest. But the man’s good fortune has narrowed his view. He imagines years of ease, but never seems to wonder who else might benefit from the abundance. And he doesn’t speak to God, the source of that life he is planning ahead for.
So I need people who can rejoice with me and also ask a question I might avoid. What would make good use of this opportunity? Is there someone I promised to help? Have I left any room for God to surprise me? Those sort of conversations can get in the way when I already know what I want to do.
The man’s life ends before he can enjoy the future he has arranged for himself. Jesus leaves me with a question about the present. If I receive something good today, will I hold it so tightly that I have to discuss it only with myself? Or can I invite someone else into the conversation?
Reflection questions:
- When I receive something good, who helps me think beyond my first plans for it?
- What am I currently treating as mine alone to decide?
- Is there a gift I could share now instead of saving it for some imagined future?