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Luke 12:16-34
And he spoke a
similitude to them, saying: The land of a certain rich man brought
forth plenty of fruits. And he thought within himself, saying: What
shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he
said: This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and will build
greater; and into them will I gather all things that are grown to me,
and my goods. And I will say to my soul: Soul, thou hast much goods
laid up for many years take thy rest; eat, drink, make good cheer. But
God said to him: Thou fool, this night do they require thy soul of
thee: and whose shall those things be which thou hast provided?
So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich towards
God. And he said to his disciples: Therefore I say to you, be not
solicitous for your life, what you shall eat; nor for your body, what
you shall put on. The life is more than the meat, and the body is more
than the raiment. Consider the ravens, for they sow not, neither do
they reap, neither have they storehouse nor barn, and God feedeth them.
How much are you more valuable than they? And which of you, by taking
thought, can add to his stature one cubit?
If then ye be not able to do so much as the least thing, why are you
solicitous for the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they
labour not, neither do they spin. But I say to you, not even Solomon in
all his glory was clothed like one of these. Now if God clothe in this
manner the grass that is today in the field, and tomorrow is cast into
the oven; how much more you, O ye of little faith? And seek not you
what you shall eat, or what you shall drink: and be not lifted up on
high. For all these things do the nations of the world seek. But your
Father knoweth that you have need of these things.
But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his justice, and all these
things shall be added unto you.
Commentary
from the Catholic Encyclopedia
The rich fool
and Dives and Lazarus raise the question whether we should interpret
them as true histories or as instructive fictions. Both are directed
against the chief enemy of the Gospel, riches loved and sought after.
The rich fool ("Nabal", as in I Kings 25) was uttered on occasion of a
dispute concerning property and Christ answers "Man, who hath appointed
me judge, or divider, over you?" Not injustice, but covetousness, "the
root of all evil", is here reprehended. Read St. Cyprian, "De opere et
eleemosyna", 13.
The story of Lazarus, which completes this lesson by contrast, appears
to have no concealed meaning and would therefore not fulfil the
definition of a parable. Catholics, with Irenaeus, Ambrose, Augustine,
and the church liturgy, regard it as a narrative. The modern school
rejects this view, allows that our Lord may have spoken the first half
of the recital (Luke 16:19-26) but considers the rest to be an allegory
which condemns the Jews for not accepting the witness of Moses and the
Prophets to Jesus as the Messias. In any case our Lord's resurrection
furnishes an implied reference. "Abraham's bosom" for the middle state
after death is adopted by the Fathers generally; it receives
illustration from IV Mach. 13:17. St. Augustine (De Gen. ad Litt.,
viii, 7) doubts whether we can take literally the description of the
other world.
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