Aug 3rd, 2025: 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time
What Really Matters
Good Afternoon / Morning, everyone.
Let me ask you something: Have you ever found yourself working so hard, day after day, and then stopping for a moment and thinking, “What is all this for?”
Maybe you are trying to make ends meet.
Maybe you are saving up for something big – your retirement, your kids’ education, a home. Or maybe, like so many, you feel like you are always chasing something – just trying to keep up.
That is what today’s readings are all about. They are not here to shame us or scare us, but to make us stop and think about what really matters in the end.
In the first reading, the writer of Ecclesiastes-who was probably very wise and had seen a lot in life-says, “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity!” In other words, “So much of what we chase after feels empty.” He’s not saying life is meaningless. He’s just being brutally honest: we spend years working hard, building, worrying, sacrificing-and then one day it’s over. And what have we worked for? Sometimes it ends up in the hands of someone who didn’t earn it, or who doesn’t care.
And then Jesus tells a story that feels like it could be pulled straight from today’s headlines: a man who becomes rich, so rich he doesn’t even know where to put all his stuff. He has a great plan to tear down his barns and build bigger ones. He’s made it! Time to sit back and enjoy life.
But that night, he dies. Just like that. And suddenly, all that careful planning doesn’t matter anymore.
It’s a tough parable. Not because the man did something evil-but because he was so focused on what he had, he forgot to think about who he was becoming. He spent his whole life preparing for / retirement-but he never prepared / for eternity.
Jesus sums it up with a powerful line: “So it is with the one who stores up treasure for himself / but is not rich in what matters to God.”
So, what does matter to God?
Not your bank account. Not your job title. Not your square footage. What matters is your heart. Your love. Your faith.
It’s how you treat people when no one’s looking.
It’s the time you give to your family, your neighbor, your parish. It’s the way you forgive. The way you serve. The way you pray.
St. Paul in our second reading, says it clearly: “Seek what is above.” In other words, don’t get stuck looking down at the dirt, at the worries and the things of this world. Look up. Keep your eyes on Christ. Because when all is said and done, He is our life. And what we do for him-and for others-that’s what lasts.
So today, take a moment to ask yourself:
• Am I working for things that pass away, or things that endure?
• Am I storing up love and mercy and grace-or just stuff?
• If tonight were my last night, what would I be leaving behind?
That might feel like a heavy question. But it’s actually freeing. Because it helps us let go of what doesn’t matter-and hold on to what does.
Let’s live simply. Let’s live generously. And let’s live in a way that shows we trust God more than our bank account or our plans.
Because in the end, being rich toward God is the only kind of wealth we can take with us.
Let me share a story I once heard from a hospice chaplain:
He visited an elderly man in his final days-let’s call him Jack. Jack had spent his life as a successful businessman. He had done well for himself: a big house, investments, awards on the wall. But as he lay in his hospital bed, surrounded by machines and quietness, the chaplain asked him, “Jack, what are you thinking about most these days?”
And Jack didn’t talk about his career. He didn’t mention his wealth, or any of the things he had worked so hard for.
He said, “I keep thinking about the times I missed … the dinners I skipped, … the games I didn’t go to, … the conversations I put off … . I thought I’d always have more time. But it turns out, time was the most valuable thing I had-and I gave it to everything / but the people I love.”
He paused, then added: “If I could do it again, I’d spend less time building a portfolio and more time building relationships.”
That conversation stuck with me.
Because when our time comes-and it will come- what we will want most / is to know we lived a life that matters. Not just one that was full, but one that was faithful. One that was rich in love, mercy, and faith in God.
That’s the kind of treasure that never fades
Let us pray.
Loving God,
You have given us so much-our time, our talents, our treasures. But you remind us today that none of these things last forever. Help us to live / not just for ourselves, but for you. Teach us to seek what is above: love that never fails, joy that cannot be bought, and faith that stands firm.
Make us rich, Lord-not in things, but in the kind of life that reflects your goodness.
Help us to spend our time wisely, to cherish our relationships, and to build Your Kingdom here on earth.
And when our time comes, may we be found ready-hearts open, hands empty, and souls full of Your grace.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
AMEN