Manna from Heaven

Overpacking for our Journey

It is in our nature to store up goods, to be prudent in saving and managing the sustenance God gives us on our journey to Heaven. But when receiving and consuming sustenance becomes a quest for sustenance itself, we land in a bad spiritual space. The Church considers economics as a part of morality, precisely because managing wealth is crucial to the maintenance of the common good. Like the man in this Sunday’s parable, we should also be wary of obsessing over wealth accumulated on Earth, because Earth is not our ultimate destination: “You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you. Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich in what matters to God.” (Lk 12:20-21) Life on Earth is transient; it is a place where we learn about God so that we may be made worthy of Heaven. Our end goal is not to accumulate the most material wealth before we depart for this world. It is not so that our next generation will inherit a comfortable living, or a prestigious family name and legacy. Our ultimate goal is for us, our family, and the generations to come, to see that our lives on Earth point towards the love and mercy of Christ in Heaven.