Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

You Can’t Take It With You

YOU FOOL, THIS NIGHT YOUR LIFE WILL BE DEMANDED OF YOU

God of abundance, we come with full schedules, crowded minds, and hearts that often hold too tightly. But in this space, help us loosen our grip on what we think we need. Make room in us for what truly matters: Connection. Compassion. Courage. Center us in your presence and open us to one another, so we may hear your quiet invitation to live more freely, and love more boldly.

Share a time when you were holding on to something—money, time, stuff, control—and letting go of it ended up being the best thing you could have done, even when it felt risky.

A collapsed residential building in Mandalay, Myanmar April 2, 2025 due to the earthquake on March 28. (OSV News photo/China Daily via Reuters)

After a powerful earthquake struck Myanmar, killing thousands and displacing millions, relief efforts were severely restricted by the country’s military junta. Despite the danger and roadblocks, Maryknoll Father John Barth, working from Thailand, quietly funneled emergency funds to the Archdiocese of Mandalay, so local leaders could provide food, medicine, and shelter supplies to those in need. 

While others stored up and shut down, Father Barth and his partners chose to give, trusting that even limited help could save lives. Their actions offered a powerful witness: real security isn’t found in stockpiles, but in solidarity.

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 all who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich in what matters to God.” Luke 12:13-21

It is so easy to get caught up in storing, saving, and securing, thinking if we just have a little more, we’ll finally be safe or happy. But Jesus calls this out. The rich man in the story isn’t foolish because he’s successful—he’s foolish because he thinks security comes only from material wealth. He forgets that life is short, and what really matters can’t be packed into barns or bank accounts. What really matters is who we’ve loved, and who has loved us. This is a call to let go of the grip we have on our time, money, and energy—and to start asking: What priority am I giving to my relationships? Who needs what I’ve been hoarding? What would it look like to live with more trust and more generosity, right now?

Take stock of your
‘barns’—the things you or your community store up for security. Where is the Spirit inviting you to let go, particularly, to better meet the needs of those who are facing food and housing insecurity?

Support Maryknoll’s Myanmar Earthquake Appeal. Working with Caritas and the Diocese of Mandalay, 100% of your gift provides food, water, and medical care to those in urgent need. Every dollar counts. Click here.

God, thank you for meeting us in this space, not in the things we store up, but in the things we are willing to share. Help us live with open hands and open hearts. Make us generous with our time, brave with our love, and willing to let go of whatever keeps us small. Remind us that what matters most can’t be measured in things, but in how deeply we give and how fully we show up. Amen.