I once visited an older man who invited me to his home because he wanted to talk to a priest. I arrived at his huge, beautiful home in a very rich neighborhood. When I walked inside, I felt like I was in a museum with beautiful paintings hanging on the walls, sculptures, and many other beautiful things displayed. What I quickly realized was that this man invited me, because he wasn’t happy with his life. He was very successful, very rich. However, as he said, he wasted his life on gaining more and more money, forgetting about relationships with other people and with God. Now, he lives in this beautiful house, but his house feels empty. This poor man felt so lonely, telling me that only if he could go back in time, he would spend more time on things that matter the most -- building a good relationship with others and with God. This is exactly what Jesus is telling us today: “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.” Nothing wrong with owning material things, but we need to be aware that they will not last forever. Instead we need to gain things that will last eternally.
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