Then he told them a parable. "There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, 'What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?' And he said, 'This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, "Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!"'
But God said to him, 'You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?' Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God." (Luke 12:13-21)
What matters to God? Perhaps the best answer was provided by Father Richard Rohr in his 2014 book, “Eager To Love: The Alternative Ways of Francis of Assisi.” God expects us always to be eager to love. Rohr said, “Only when we are eager to love can we see love and goodness in the world around us…There is no secret moral command for knowing or pleasing God, or what some call ‘salvation,’ beyond becoming a loving person in mind, heart, body, and soul yourself.”
For most of us this is a tall order. That’s what makes us fools because some night our life will be demanded of us. For that we are not eager.
Furthermore, “You can’t take it with you” is a familiar expression used as the title for a famous 1938 movie: “You Can't Take It with You.” This film was an American romantic comedy film directed by Frank Capra and starring Jean Arthur, Lionel Barrymore, James Stewart and Edward Arnold. It was about a man from a family of rich snobs who becomes engaged to a woman from a good-natured but decidedly eccentric family. It was a critical and commercial success receiving two Academy Awards from seven nominations: Best Picture and Best Director for Frank Capra.
The family’s Grandpa Martin Vanderhoff (Barrymore) said: “Maybe it’d stop you trying to be so desperate about making more money than you can ever use? You can’t take it with you, Mr. Kirby (actor Arnold playing Stewart’s rich father). So what good is it? As near as I can see, the only thing you can take with you is the love of your friends.”
To rest, eat, drink, and be merry has little meaning unless accompanied by love. Building bigger barns, just to have more, is foolish. As God reveals, love is the answer. Remember the 1979 song “Love Is the Answer” by England Dan & John Ford Coley.
Name your price
A ticket to paradise
I can't stay here any more
And I've looked high and low
I've been from shore to shore to shore
If there's a short cut I'd have found it
But there's no easy way around it
Light of the world, shine on me
Love is the answer
Shine on us all, set us free
Love is the answer
Who knows why
Someday we all must die
We're all homeless boys and girls
And we are never heard
It's such a lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely world
People turn their heads and walk on by
Tell me, is it worth just another try?
Light of the world, shine on me
Love is the answer (let it shine)
Shine on us all, set us free
Love is the answer (you know the answer is love)
Tell me, are we alive, or just a dying planet?
What are the chances?
Ask the man in your heart for the answers
And when you feel afraid, love one another
When you've lost your way, love one another
When you're all alone, love one another
When you're far from home, love one another
When you're down and out, love one another
All your hope's run out, love one another
When you need a friend, love one another
When you're near the end, love
We got to love, we got to love one another
Light of the world, you got to shine on me
Love is the answer
Shine on us all (know that love can save the day)
Set us free
Love is the answer
(Just give it, just one more chance)
Deacon David Pierce
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