Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C
July 31, 2016
Gospel: Lk 12:13-21
Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my
brother to share the inheritance (1) with me.” He replied to him,
“Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator (2)?” Then he said to the crowd, “Take
care to guard against all greed (3), 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.”
(http://www.usccb.org)
The difficult words
(1)An inheritance is money and things that
parents leave behind to their children after they die.
(2) An arbitrator is someone who helps people find
solutions for their arguments about money and business.
(3)Greed is the selfish love of money.
This week’s spotlight
The three crosses before the
Gospel
When the priest or deacon presents the Gospel, we
respond with "Glory to you, Lord’’ while making three little signs of the
cross. The first cross goes on our foreheads so that the Word may be in our
thoughts and purify our minds. We make the second on our lips so that our words
may be holy and share the Gospel with others. We make the third cross on our
hearts, inviting God to write his Word there and to strengthen our love.
Holy, holy, holy Lord
Right before the eucharistic prayer, the congregation
joins all the angels and saints in singing the unending hymn of praise to God:
"Holy, holy, holy." These words are sung by the angels in the Book of
the Prophet Isaiah, as well as in the Book of Revelation. The word
"Hosanna" is from a Hebrew word meaning "Save us!" The
people acclaimed Jesus with this word when he entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, who comes in the name of the Lord!
Reflection
Be rich in what matters to God
In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus talks about riches,
inheritance, money, and savings. He doesn’t say that riches are bad, but he
asks: is money more important than life... more important than peace between
brothers and sisters? Maybe you'll say that you’re just a kid and that you
don’t worry about money. Even so, you already have riches. You have toys,
games, clothing, and other things. These riches can bring you closer to others,
or tear you apart. You have to make the right choice. For example, what good is
it to have a brand new bike, if it’s only for making your friends jealous? Do
you prefer having a new bike over having good friends with whom you can go bike-riding?
What is more important? This week, discover your true riches and find different
ways you can share them.
Discussion questions
1.Why does this reading warn against greed?
2.How can greed turn a person away from God?
3.What does this reading tell us about what is most important in life?
4.How can you share what you have with others?
After
receiving Holy Communion,
you can say this prayer silently to yourself. If you
have not yet
received your First Communion, you can still say this prayer because of your desire to
receive Jesus.
Father, through Jesus, in
communion with the whole Church, I thank you for coming into my heart. I am so
grateful for all the true riches in my life. You are the greatest treasure of
my heart. Help me to share your love with everyone I meet.
This week…
Thanking God for true riches
This week, take a moment during
your evening prayers to thank God for all of your blessings: having a home, a
bed, a family, toys, books…
Use your riches as gifts from God
Maybe some of your games only
cause fights. This week you can decide to use your games and toys to meet new
friends and make others happy.
Crossword Puzzle
Source: usccb.org
- Magnifikid - sermons4kids.com – rclblectionary.com
–usccb.org/bible/readings-audio.cfm