The poor in spirit are rich ~reflex on Lk 12:13-21

Today’s readings all point Heavenward. They call us to give up the vanity of earthly thinking, of “toil and anxiety of heart” (Ecc. 1) and the things that pass, to “seek what is above” (Col 3).

We are reminded to listen to the voice of God, and we can do this only when we “number our days aright” and thereby “gain wisdom of heart” (Psalm 90). When we are aware that this current mode of life is short, we keep our eyes on the life that is waiting for us, “where Christ is seated at the right hand of God” (Col 3).

Jesus responds to the man asking him to arbitrate an inheritance dispute with his brother by pointing beyond the immediate disagreement: “one’s life does not consist of possessions,” and telling a parable to remind us of the shortness of this life, and the poverty of earthly “riches.”

We all find it easier to focus on the things before us, the things that demand our immediate attention, the things by which we measure our effectiveness and fruitfulness. We all find it easier to store up some kind of treasure right here – it may be money, experiences, knowledge, influence, order, good causes, or even some spiritual treasure, like religious art or prayer books or devotions. These give us a sense of satisfaction and security, because they are tangible in some way. But Scripture calls us to surrender our own ideas of what constitutes real treasure, reminding us that what is of true value is hidden.

We must work to “think of what is above, not of what is on earth” because our “life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col 3).  In another place, Jesus tells us to store up treasures in heaven (Matt 6:20), where moth and rust do not destroy; and at the end of his life, he tells Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world” (Jn 18:36).

The Kingdom of Heaven is unlike any kingdom on earth, and Jesus’ mission to establish this kingdom among us continues through the work of the Church. We, too, must make the eternal Kingdom the priority in our own lives, and in the life of the world. Jesus turned the values of this world upside down, illustrating how far from our ways are God’s ways. By walking with Christ in every moment, we learn to value what he values, we build up treasure in Heaven, and Christ at last “is all and in all” (Col 3).