October 20, 2025: What Absolutely Makes You Rich?

Catholic Homily for October 20, 2025

Monday of the Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Luke 12:13–21

We spend most of our lives worrying about having enough – enough money, enough security, enough possessions, enough success. But Jesus points us to a question we rarely consider:

What actually is enough?

And more importantly: What makes a life truly rich?

The story starts with someone in the crowd asking Jesus to settle a family dispute:

“Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.”

This sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Families fighting over money, possessions, and who gets what when someone dies. It’s one of the oldest sources of conflict between people.

But Jesus refuses to get involved in the legal details. Instead, He addresses the heart of the problem:

“Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.”

To make His point, Jesus tells a story about a successful farmer:

The Man’s Success:

• He had a really good harvest – his fields produced more than expected
• This was actually a blessing – there was nothing wrong with his success
• He worked hard and was rewarded for it

The Man’s Problem:

It wasn’t that he was successful – it was what success did to his heart.

His Self-Focused Thinking:

“What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?”

Notice: He talks only to himself. He doesn’t pray. He doesn’t ask anyone for advice. He doesn’t consider anyone but himself.

His Self-Focused Solution:

“I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.”

His plan: Get bigger storage so he can hoard everything for himself.

His Self-Focused Future:

“And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.'”

His dream: A long, comfortable, worry-free life where he doesn’t need God or anyone else.

God’s Shocking Response

Just when the man thinks he has everything figured out, God speaks:

“You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?”

Why God Called Him a Fool:

He Acted Like He Owned Time:

• He planned for “many years” as if he controlled his lifespan
• He forgot that every day is a gift from God
• He assumed tomorrow was guaranteed

He Acted Like He Owned Everything:

• He kept saying “my crops,” “my barns,” “my goods”
• He forgot that everything ultimately belongs to God
• He thought security came from what he could store up

He Acted Like He Was the Only Person Who Mattered:

• He never considered sharing with anyone
• He didn’t think about the poor who could have been fed
• He planned only for his own comfort

The Real Problem Wasn’t Success – It Was the Heart

Jesus isn’t saying that success, money, or planning for the future are bad. The problem was what happened in the man’s heart:

He Spoke Only to Himself:

• He never prayed or sought God’s guidance
• He didn’t consult wise friends or family
• He made all his decisions in isolation

He Counted Grain, Not Grace:

• He measured his wealth but forgot to count his blessings
• He focused on what he could store but ignored what God had already given
• He saw possessions but missed God’s goodness

He Saved Years He Didn’t Own:

• He planned as if he controlled his future
• He forgot that life is fragile and uncertain
• He tried to create security without God

He Forgot God and the Poor:

• He never considered how God wanted him to use his blessings
• He didn’t think about people who were hungry or in need
• He turned inward instead of outward

What It Means to Be Rich Toward God

Jesus ends the parable by saying:

“So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”

Being Rich Toward God is Different:

It Measures by Trust, Not Storage:

• Real security comes from trusting God, not from accumulating things
• You measure wealth by your relationship with God, not your bank account
• You find peace in God’s faithfulness, not in your possessions

It Shares Before It Secures:

• You think about helping others before you think about storing up for yourself
• You’re generous with what you have instead of hoarding it
• You use your blessings to bless other people

It Remembers That Time and Breath are Gifts:

• Every day is a gift from God that could be your last
• Your abilities, your health, your opportunities all come from God
• You hold everything lightly because you know it’s not really yours

Three Moves Away from Bigger Barns

Based on Jesus’ teaching, here are three practical ways to avoid the rich fool’s mistake:

1. Name One Surplus and Give It Away:

• Look around your life and identify something you have more than enough of
• Instead of storing it or keeping it “just in case,” give it to someone who needs it
• This could be money, possessions, time, or skills

Examples:

• Donate clothes you don’t wear anymore
• Give money to someone struggling financially
• Share food with a neighbor
• Offer your skills to help someone in need

2. Interrupt One Plan with Prayer: “Lord, What Do You Want?”

• Before making a big decision, stop and pray
• Ask God what He wants you to do instead of just planning on your own
• Be willing to change your plans if God shows you a different direction

Examples:

• Before buying something expensive, pray about whether it’s what God wants
• Before making vacation plans, ask God if there’s a better way to use that time or money
• Before choosing how to spend your weekend, ask God if someone needs your help

3. Invest One Hour in a Person, Not a Thing:

• Spend time building relationships instead of just accumulating possessions
• Choose to be with people over choosing to have things
• Remember that people are what matter most to God

Examples:

• Instead of shopping, visit someone who’s lonely
• Instead of working on a hobby, help a friend with a problem
• Instead of watching TV, have a real conversation with a family member

The Ultimate Question

The rich man in Jesus’ story thought he was ready for anything. But when God asked for his life, he had nothing that really mattered.

The question for us: When God calls us, will we be rich toward Him? Will we have invested in things that last forever, or will we be like the rich fool – successful in the world’s eyes but poor in the things that matter to God?

Remember: You can’t take your possessions with you when you die, but you can send them ahead by using them to love and serve others. True security comes not from what you store up, but from storing up treasures in heaven through acts of mercy and love.

A Simple Prayer for Today

God, help me to see the difference between having enough and being greedy. When I’m tempted to hoard what you’ve given me, remind me that everything belongs to you and that sharing is the path to real security. Instead of building bigger barns for myself, help me to be generous with others and to store up treasures in heaven. Let me be rich toward you, trusting in your love rather than in my possessions. Amen.

❤️ Thank You dear friend, hope this reflections touched you. 🙏 Please do not forget to share with your loved ones this october 20 homily.

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