ST IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH, MEMORIAL MONDAY OF THE TWENTY-NINTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME OCTOBER 17, 2022

MASS READINGS

A reading of the holy Gospel according to LK 12:13-21

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” He replied to him, “Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?” Then he said to the crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.” Then he told them a parable. “There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ And he said, ‘This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’ Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God.”

The Gospel of the Lord

REFLECTION

‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’

St Ignatius of Antioch (also called Ignatius Theophoros ( Greek: God bearer) was the second bishop of Antioch. He was arrested, condemned to death and transported to Rome to be thrown to the wild beasts in the arena. He wrote 7 letters to different churches as he was transported to Rome. He is mainly known through his writings. He noted in one of his letters, that the guards who transported him from Antioch were like leopards, that when they were kindly treated only behaved worse.

He also chastised the churches for standing in the way of his pending death.

"I plead with you: show me no untimely kindness. Let me be food for the wild beasts, for they are my way to God.... No earthly pleasures, no kingdoms of this world can benefit me in any way. I prefer death in Christ Jesus to power over the farthest limits of the earth. He who died in place of us is the one object of my quest. He who rose for our sakes is my one desire."

"My desire is to belong to God. Do not, then, hand me back to the world. Do not try to tempt me with material things. Let me attain pure light....Give me the privilege of imitating the passion of my God. If you have him in your heart, you will understand what I wish.....The prince of this world is determined to lay hold of me and to undermine my will which is intent on God.....Do not talk about Jesus Christ as long as you love this world. Do not harbour envious thoughts...."

Greed and possessivenes are some causes for us not wanting to leave this world. Our lives do not consist in the abundance of our possessions. But somehow we think and act as if they do. How many pairs of shoes do I own? How many clothes do I need? Are we possessing so as to impress? Do I need so many cars? Do I overeat? Do I tithe? Do I want a brand new home with all its entrapments? How many homes do I need?

You, too, can make your list of why we love possessions. But we do!!

What is the opposite of greed? According to St Augustine, it is love. St Augustine says that instead of asking, "Master, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me." He recommends we replace it with "Master, tell my brother that he may have my inheritance." (Sermon 265.9) How many of us can say this? I am still praying for that disposition of life.

Where is your treasure? What do we desire the most?

God Bless You