In recent years large public storage facilities have sprung up in urban, suburban, even rural areas of our country. These structures, like the rich man's barns in today's gospel, provide us with a place to store things we do not currently need or cannot fit into our living space. As time passes, we often forget what we have stored away or why we kept them.

Each of today's scripture readings challenges us to reflect on what really gives meaning to life. In the first reading from Ecclesiastes, we hear a lament on how futile life can be if lived apart from God. In the second reading, Paul reminds the Colossians that there should be no divisions among them, no haves and have-nots, for Christ lives in each of them.

In the gospel Jesus recounts the fate of a man who thought he would insure his happiness by hoarding the plentiful harvest God had provided. All his planning was futile. His life ended before he could use what he had stored away and his wealth was left for others to enjoy.

Jesus is not saying that it is wrong to prepare for the future but that we need to avoid greed when doing so. He is reminding us that we can sometimes be like the rich man in the parable, holding onto what we have, trying to accumulate more and not realizing that the gifts we have been given are meant to be used for the good of others. In the book, Mother Teresa, In Her Own Words, Blessed Teresa has written: "What God gives you is not to be kept under lock and key, but to be shared. The more you save, the less you will be able to give. The less you have, the more you will know how to share."

What have you accumulated? What have you put in storage, literally or figuratively? Is it your time or your talent that might be used advocating for or supporting others? Perhaps it is money or possessions that could benefit someone else. What stops you from unlocking your treasures?

Let us pray:

Generous God grant us the wisdom to recognize the gifts you have given us. Help us to share them freely with others and so become rich in what matters to you. We ask this, as we ask all things, in Jesus' name, Amen.

Sr. Michaela Connolly, OP