Have you heard the story of Alexander the Great’s deathbed wishes, which have been circulating for years? According to the story, on his deathbed, Alexander the Great, one of history’s most successful military commanders, made three wishes. First: He instructed that the best physicians carry his coffin; Second: that his wealth be scattered along the way to his burial; and Third: that his hands be left dangling outside the coffin. He meant each wish as a lesson to the living. The first wish was to teach the living that even the most skilled physicians cannot cheat death when the time arrives. The second wish was to show that material wealth does not follow anyone beyond the grave. And the third wish symbolized the fact that everyone comes into the world empty-handed and leaves the world the same way.
Today’s First Reading and Gospel Passage support the lessons from the story of Alexander the Great’s deathbed wishes. In the First Reading, Qoheleth, the voice from Ecclesiastes, does not just whisper, he shouts, “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity!” He does not say those words as a pessimist, nor does he speak as a grumpy old man. On the contrary, he speaks as a wise man who has gained confidence through his experience. He sees people working, striving, worrying, and losing sleep over what they term “success.” But to what end? He reminds us that everything, our wealth, careers, high-level connections, and fame, can vanish in the twinkle of an eye. We leave them all behind in this world, and someone else takes over. Sometimes, those who take over do not even care about us. So, what keeps me up all night? Will it last forever?
In the Gospel Acclamation, Jesus speaks clearly to his listeners, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The blessedness of the poor in spirit is not an incentive for laziness; it does not mean we should not work hard. It is not how much possession I have that will count against me, but how much I have been possessed by my possession. There will be multi-billionaires in heaven, just as many poor will be excluded. Our attitude counts more. Sharing with those in need and giving to God all that is His due secure our future. The poor in spirit are those who do not cling to things of this world as if they were eternal. They know better. They know that power fades, beauty withers, and fame is forgotten. They know that the kingdom of heaven is a treasure that neither fades, rusts, nor runs out. As we work around the clock to acquire material wealth, we must ask ourselves, “Will it last forever?”
Jesus told the parable in today’s Gospel passage in answer to the man who requested him to ask his brother to give him his own share of the inheritance. Rather than treat the symptom, Jesus went to the root of the matter. For him, covetousness was the issue at stake. Covetousness springs from the tendency to identify life with the abundance of possessions. The problem does not reside in his brother’s presumed refusal to divide the inheritance but in his attitude toward the inheritance. The parable illustrates the futility of accumulating material wealth for the future, as it could be cut off at any time. Before we lose our souls over inheritance, we need to ask ourselves, “Will it last forever?”
Many times, we face the temptation, like the man in the parable, to live for ourselves. We build barns, stash wealth, chase comfort, plan and save and secure material wealth. And none of those are bad until they become everything. That is when Jesus’ warning in today’s Gospel passage hits home: “You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you.” All those barns, all those plans, all those savings, gone forever, and then what? Do we think any of them will last forever?
My dearly beloved in Christ, what are you building? What are you pouring your life into? Is it something eternal or just another castle made of sand? Remember, when we stand before God at the judgment, he will not ask how much we stored, but how much we shared. He will not ask how big our barns were, but how open our hands were. When our hard work has brought a plentiful harvest, we should not plan to build a high wall; we should instead build a long table. What makes you feel more important than others? Will it last forever? Qoheleth shouts, “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” Maybe we have heard these words before, but today, the responsorial adds, “If today you hear his voice, harden not your heart.”
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