Father Koch: Our true wealth is in eternal life
July 28, 2022 at 2:28 p.m.
A popular expression from the 1980’s, and often attributed to Malcolm Forbes, Jr. goes: “He who dies with the most toys, wins.” Of course, we are left wondering what it is that one is supposed to win.
As we all know families and friendships that have been ravaged by the impact of greed, we do still place much social value on money. We are fascinated with celebrity and watch the comings and goings of celebrity scandals and happenings with much interest. While we might balk at the price of theater, athletic or concert tickets, we pay them anyway, even as we know that many of the performers are being paid inordinate sums while others in the same venue are earning a pittance by comparison. And, of course, they are all making much more than are we in the audience.
There are those who have what bounty, or what little they have to develop a legacy to pay it forward or back in order to leave the world a better place, and to have a willful impact on the lives of others. Yet there are those who prefer merely to amass “toys,” and enjoy only the finest things, with no concern whatsoever about the welfare of others.
A man asks Jesus to serve as the arbitrator in a family dispute over an inheritance. The applications of the Mosaic Law were clear, and this man would have had some outlet for his case if there is one to be made.
The translation we hear tempers the response of Jesus thereby tempering the sheer disgust with which Jesus addresses him.
Jesus does not, as we hear in the Liturgy, address this man as “friend” and indeed he is far from that. St. Luke uses the word anthropos here which is translated as man in English, but in a very generic sense and not gender specific. We might say that “person” is a better translation than “friend” for sure.
In the Greek style signifies a sense of disdain for the question and the questioner. Jesus is appalled at the greed and at the suggestion that he should be dragged into this family argument over money.
This prompts Jesus to tell a parable about a greedy man who decided to build more barns to store his bountiful harvest instead of using that bounty to be of use for others and perhaps alleviate hunger.
We are reminded that our gifts are not ours alone, and that our bounty is at the service of one another.
Father Garry Koch is pastor of St. Benedict Parish, Holmdel.
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A popular expression from the 1980’s, and often attributed to Malcolm Forbes, Jr. goes: “He who dies with the most toys, wins.” Of course, we are left wondering what it is that one is supposed to win.
As we all know families and friendships that have been ravaged by the impact of greed, we do still place much social value on money. We are fascinated with celebrity and watch the comings and goings of celebrity scandals and happenings with much interest. While we might balk at the price of theater, athletic or concert tickets, we pay them anyway, even as we know that many of the performers are being paid inordinate sums while others in the same venue are earning a pittance by comparison. And, of course, they are all making much more than are we in the audience.
There are those who have what bounty, or what little they have to develop a legacy to pay it forward or back in order to leave the world a better place, and to have a willful impact on the lives of others. Yet there are those who prefer merely to amass “toys,” and enjoy only the finest things, with no concern whatsoever about the welfare of others.
A man asks Jesus to serve as the arbitrator in a family dispute over an inheritance. The applications of the Mosaic Law were clear, and this man would have had some outlet for his case if there is one to be made.
The translation we hear tempers the response of Jesus thereby tempering the sheer disgust with which Jesus addresses him.
Jesus does not, as we hear in the Liturgy, address this man as “friend” and indeed he is far from that. St. Luke uses the word anthropos here which is translated as man in English, but in a very generic sense and not gender specific. We might say that “person” is a better translation than “friend” for sure.
In the Greek style signifies a sense of disdain for the question and the questioner. Jesus is appalled at the greed and at the suggestion that he should be dragged into this family argument over money.
This prompts Jesus to tell a parable about a greedy man who decided to build more barns to store his bountiful harvest instead of using that bounty to be of use for others and perhaps alleviate hunger.
We are reminded that our gifts are not ours alone, and that our bounty is at the service of one another.
Father Garry Koch is pastor of St. Benedict Parish, Holmdel.