Greed: Selfish Desire

~~~ Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~~~

~~Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23~~

~~Psalm 90~~ Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11~~Luke 12:13-21~~

“Take care to guard against all greed,

for though one may be rich,

one’s life does not consist of possessions.”

The dictionary defines greed as...

intense and selfish desire for something, 

especially wealth, power, or food.

When an individual becomes strangled by greed

 they can never be satisfied...

there is always something more they desire.

Greed leaves the soul starving for something 

that it does not recognize.

Greed robs the soul of finding peace of heart.

Greed exhausts one's ability to rest.

One cannot rest when there is always something more.

In order to get more they must be in a constant state of acquisition.

God gives us his peace.

Peace never emerges out of greed.

We hear in scripture that 

'love of money is the root of all evil'...

(1Tim.6:10)

Greed keeps one hungry day and night.

Greed cannot quiet the grumbling stomach.

Greed does not come from God.

Perhaps the first sin in the Garden of Eden

was ultimately the first sin of greed.

The temptation of greed was disguised in a luscious

 piece of sweet juicy fruit.

No matter how much we desire or what we 

acquire in our lifetime

none of it gets you into the gates of heaven.

We must find a way to accumulate the intangible.

We must become 

 '...rich in what matters to God.'

It is only God that can

 satisfy the greed of our heart.

He can only do that if we keep 

our tendencies toward greed under control.

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

Greed is not the path to heaven.

Greed holds one on the race track 

with no finish line in sight.

Christ is all and in all.

There is no room for greed.

None of our earthly possessions

 will make it into eternity with our soul.

Blessings...

greed cannot be the way.

~~~Peace~~~

Insatiable Greed

~~~ Saints John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues ~~~

Priests, and Companions, Martyrs

~~~ Romans 4:20-25 ~~~ Psalm Luke 1:69-70, 71-72, 73-75 ~~~

~~~ Luke 12:13-21 ~~~

Take care to guard against all greed,
for though one may be rich,
one’s life does not consist of possessions.

The parable of the rich man is a good reminder that
all of our possessions remain here
the day that we die.

Greed...an intense selfish desire
to have more of something than you need
especially wealth or money.

The richness and wealth of life does not
depend on our possessions.

Greed is one of the seven deadly sins,
because it throws ones soul into great chaos.
The soul filled with greed is ruthless.
Greed can lead to violence and hatred.

If you want to follow Jesus there is no place for greed.

If you want to follow Jesus it is best to get rid of your extra things.
When greed is in control of your life it consumes your soul.
Greed renders the soul in capable of loving,
because everything has strings attached.

Jesus had no use for greed.
Greed leads to sin because eventually you
will do whatever it takes to have more.

There can be no love for the poor
when greed resides in your heart.

A person driven by greed will not be stopped
in his endeavors for more.

Anyone who gets in the way of a person
controlled by greed will eventually get hurt.

A greedy person is a person to stay away from.

Beware, jealousy is the cousin of greed.
Too often we tend to focus on what we want
and lose sight of what we really need.

Greed is insatiable.

Making provisions to store more is not the ticket to heaven.
Store up your wealth in what matters to God.

Thus will it be for the one 
who stores up treasure for himself
but is not rich in what matters to God.

Love and compassion is
what we need more of in our heart.
The treasures which hold value to God
cannot be stored in barns.

There is no room for greed when your heart
 is already completely filled up with love.

May the Lord teach us to value what
 matters most to him.

Blessed be the Poor in Spirit.

~~~Peace~~~

Do Virtual Things Count?

~~~ Romans 4:20-25 ~~Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;

he has come to his people.~~ Luke 12:13-21

 

"...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."

I really admire those people who manage to live simply...

those who keep only what they need.

It is so easy to routinely acquire things; many times

 it is not anything necessary.

There are things I possess that I could live without,

but I hold on to them.

Why? I really cannot tell you.

 

I heard once that women keep three different sizes

of clothes in their closet.

The size they are currently wearing...the size smaller

they used to wear...and the size larger just in case

they gain that weight back.

Oh my gosh, this makes no sense.

 

Now we can accumulate more stuff without leaving

 the comfort and safety of our kitchen table.

We can have things delivered right to our front door the next day.

In some cases there is no need to even take out your credit card;

all is stored on the server of the seller.

 

It is too easy to keep collecting stuff.

Sellers have made it easier and easier to get us

to buy their products.

Honestly, I cannot tell you right now

how many books I have on my Kindle.

They are virtual, no longer visible on my bookshelves.

Same is true with the hundreds of mp3 tracks

I have purchased on my computer.

These things are not taking up any physical space in our house,

but I own them none the less.

 

Today God is giving us a reality check.

Do material possessions count if they do not

take up any physical space?

What if they are not even visible?

 

 

Today God is asking us to consider what is important.

Does it get us any closer to God if we keep

collecting stuff until our homes are overflowing?

 

God is asking us to look at what we have honestly.

If our possessions are strictly that just possessions

 then maybe we should consider parting with them.

Do we have things that we could pass on that we are no longer using?

 

We cannot take anything with us when we die.

No one is going to build us a pyramid to store our belongings.

 

If I have not preserved those things which are precious before God;

what will I have in the end?

If your possessions are choking the life out of your living,

do something about it today.

Collect a single bag of items you truly do not need

and take it to a local charity. 

 

Consider what matters to God.

 

“Take care to guard against all greed,
for though one may be rich,
one’s life does not consist of possessions.”

Contrary to what our culture wants us to believe...

our possessions are not what matters to God.

 

Blessings come in being able to see ourselves

without our material possessions. 

Possessions do not define who we are to God.

 

God is looking for more...

I pray that he finds it in my heart.