EIGHTEEN SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME: YEAR C

First Reading (Qo 1:2; 2:21-23)
Second reading (Col 3:1-5, 9-11)
Gospel Luke (12:13-21)

APOLOGY FOR THE PAST MISSED REFLECTIONS!!!!!
“If you cannot have everything, make the best of everything you have” (Anon)
In spite of occasional quarrels, members of the same family normally live in harmony and peace. Till when? Until the day they are called to share out the inheritance. In front of money and goods even the best people lose their heads and become deaf and blind: they only see their personal interest, do not listen to any reason but the reasons of greediness and are ready to trample even the most sacred of feelings. With the help of some wise friends the parties may find a reasonable solution, but at times hatred drags on for years and the once peaceful and friendly brothers and sisters may end up not speaking to each other anymore.
Jesus was one day invited to act as mediator to solve a family contest (V.13). Well such cases we never fail to put a good word, but the master’s reply is instead very surprising: “my friend, who appointed me your judge or arbitrator of your claims?”(V.14).
Why doesn’t Jesus intervene in this family issue? Does he feel the problem as a sign of imposing the tyranny and imposing of the stronger parties? But this is not true because it would be contrary to the gospel message. But let us understand this.
There has been a sign where one is clearly committing an injustice while the other party is victim to it. But the question is what must be done? Avoid the discussion? Find excuse to pull out? Refer the whole problem to the current legislation? Everybody knows what has been laid down in Deut 21:15-15 and Num 27:1-11; what is called on is simply to listen to the parties, using a bit of common sense and applying the norms to the concrete case. This is how we probably ought to go about the serious drawbacks, it does not remove the root of the problem, and it does not wipe out the causes that produce discord, hatred and injustice.
Jesus decides to go straight to the root of the problem, rather than trying to solve a single case. “Watch and be on your guard”, he says, “against avarice of any kind, for life does not consist in possessions, even when one has more than needs” (V.15).
Here is then the cause of evil: greed for money. These dissensions, Jesus says, come always when the goods of this world are not used for humanity, but worshipped like gods, when their accumulation fills all thoughts and energies.
It should not mean that Jesus despite material goods, but is showing his detachment from this world and the superiority of his plans and proposals. He is very much interested in a different inheritance, but the kingdom of God that will be inherited by the poor (Mt 5:3), and by those who will spend their lives to serve the brothers and sisters. (Mt 25:34).
All causes of war, discords, problems of inheritance will disappear only when all energies of mankind will go to increase not “mine” or the “yours” but “ours”. As the saying goes “Africa is not poor but poorly managed” we have all African leaders meeting in Kampala this week but whom can we call a true African leaders except all grabbers and greedy leader, and war mongers. It may sound harsh but it calls for styling up. Take care of your country and God will take care of you. This is what we need African leaders to know. If you are corrupt stop being corrupt. Our man to be our man even when he is naked, we still call him our man. Someone should tell him or her that please you are naked.

“Spend less than you earn and you’ll never be in debt” (Yiddish proverb)