Gospel: October 19, 2026
October 19, 2026 (Monday)
29th Week in Ordinary Time
Psalter: Week 1 (Green/Red/White)
St. John de Brébeuf, St. Isaac Jogues, priests, & companions, martyrs
St. Paul of the Cross, priest
Ps 100:1b-2, 3, 4c-5
The Lord made us, we belong to him.
1st Reading: Ephesians 2:1-10
Gospel: Luke 12:13-21
Someone in the crowd spoke to Jesus, “Master, tell my brother to share with me the family inheritance.” He replied, “My friend, who has appointed me as your judge or your attorney?” Then Jesus said to the people, “Be on your guard and avoid every kind of greed, for even though you have many possessions, it is not that which gives you life.”
And Jesus continued, “There was a rich man, and his land had produced a good harvest. He thought, ‘What shall I do, for I am short of room to store my harvest? Alright, I know what I shall do: I will pull down my barns and I will build bigger ones, to store all this grain, which is my wealth. Then I will say to myself: My friend, you have a lot of good things put by for many years. Rest, eat, drink and enjoy yourself.’
But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be taken from you. Tell me, who shall get all you have put aside?’ This is the lot of the one who stores up riches for himself and is not wealthy in the eyes of God.”
Reflection:
It is only in God that we find life.
Accumulation of material possessions has been a significant challenge for many financially capable people. There is a temptation to acquire and acquire, even items that are unnecessary, forgetting what is essential. Jesus offered a caution on this in our gospel. Giving an example of a rich man who had so much, Jesus teaches the crowd about what is truly essential. He speaks of greed and material possessions as things that are not life-giving and do not provide a fullness of life. No matter how much we acquire, it does not fill the void that only God can truly satisfy. This has been Paul’s exhortation in the first reading. It is only in God that we find life, in fact, the fullness of it. And that which gives us the fullness of life is free of charge; it is a gift from God.
