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Brothers and sisters:
You were dead in your transgressions and sins
in which you once lived following the age of this world,
following the ruler of the power of the air,
the spirit that is now at work in the disobedient.
All of us once lived among them in the desires of our flesh,
following the wishes of the flesh and the impulses,
and we were by nature children of wrath, like the rest.
But God, who is rich in mercy,
because of the great love he had for us,
even when we were dead in our transgressions,
brought us to life with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
raised us up with him,
and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus,
that in the ages to come
he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace
in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
For by grace you have been saved through faith,
and this is not from you; it is the gift of God;
it is not from works, so no one may boast.
For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for good works
that God has prepared in advance,
that we should live in them.
R./ The Lord made us, we belong to him.
Sing joyfully to the Lord all you lands;
serve the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
R./ The Lord made us, we belong to him.
Know that the Lord is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends.
R./ The Lord made us, we belong to him.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
his courts with praise.
R./ The Lord made us, we belong to him.
Give thanks to him; bless his name, for he is good:
the Lord, whose kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations.
R./ The Lord made us, we belong to him.
Someone in the crowd spoke to Jesus, "Master, tell my brother to share with me the family inheritance." He replied, "My friend, who has appointed me as your judge or your attorney?" Then Jesus said to the people, "Be on your guard and avoid every kind of greed, for even though you have many possessions, it is not that which gives you life."
And Jesus continued with this story, "There was a rich man and his land had produced a good harvest. He thought: 'What shall I do? For I am short of room to store my harvest.' So this is what he planned: 'I will pull down my barns and build bigger ones to store all this grain, which is my wealth. Then I may say to myself: My friend, you have a lot of good things put by for many years. Rest, eat, drink and enjoy yourself.' But God said to him: 'You fool! This very night your life will be taken from you; tell me who shall get all you have put aside?' This is the lot of the one who stores up riches instead of amassing for God."
Dear friends,
Today’s readings make us think about our relationship with God, his grace, and what we value in life. In Ephesians, St. Paul says we were dead before we met Christ. We were caught up in selfish desires and the world. God has given us new life in Christ. This salvation is not something we have earned, but is a gift of his love and grace. He has raised us up with Christ and given us a purpose: to live a good life and fulfill God’s mission for us.
This shows us that we are God’s work, made for a reason bigger than ourselves. We cannot take credit for our actions because everything we are and do comes from God’s grace. Everything is a gift. This gift saves us and motivates us to respond with love to the good we receive. Our lives should reflect the grace we have received, living with gratitude and dedication to others.
The Gospel today warns against greed and attachment to riches. Jesus tells the story of a rich man who was unhappy because he thought his wealth made him secure and happy. God says that life is not about what you have. What matters is a life of love, generosity, and justice.
This is still relevant today. We often put our trust in what we possess or in our own abilities, believing that these things will give us security. But Jesus calls us to look beyond the material and to live in such a way that our actions reflect that trust. True wealth is not found in accumulated goods, but in a life lived according to God’s will.
May these readings encourage us to live a generous life in gratitude for God’s grace. May we seek to be truly rich before God through our good works and commitment to the Kingdom.
Edgardo Guzmán, CMF
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
we are your work of art.
When we were vowed to death through sin,
you called us to life
through the death of your Son.
God, open us to your love and life
given for free as a gift
without charge or regret
and give us thankful hearts.
May we learn from you and your Son
to place ourselves in the service
of our brothers and sisters,
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading Introduction
Ephesians gives us the very fundamental message of our gratuitous salvation by the death and resurrection of Christ. Life, real life, comes through him. We have not done anything to deserve it and we can't do anything to merit it. All we are, we are by the grace of God. It goes perhaps against the grain of our human thinking, but we are dependent beings, a gift from God living by the gifts of God. And yet, this should not be humiliating, for it is in accordance with our human nature. We are dependent, yes, but we are loved—and this is what changes everything.
Gospel Introduction
When Jesus speaks out against the rich, he does not intend to condemn them but to liberate them. What he denounces is not the fact that they have material goods, but their own attachment to them and the use they make of their riches: for hoarding, for selfish enjoyment, or - as some rich countries do - stockpiling wheat in silos or using oil for economic and political pressure. The value of possessions is relative to the goods of the kingdom, to justice and love. What counts is to be rich and wise before God.
General Intercessions
– For grateful hearts, that we can thank God for changing us from strangers to him into his sons and daughters in Christ, we pray:
– For loving hearts, that God has brought us peace with himself, with one another, and even with ourselves, we pray:
– For wide-open hearts, with which we can love the many brothers and sisters God's grace has given us in the Church, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
you let us use these offerings
as gifts from your hands
to eat and drink the life of your Son.
Confirm us in your grace
without any claim to our own merits
and let the Spirit of Jesus help us
to live the good life of your Son,
which you had meant us to live
from the beginning and for ever.
We ask you this
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
what else can we do
than give you thanks and praise
for speaking to us through Jesus
and strengthening us
with his bread of life?
May what we say and do
and all of our lives
be a gift to those around
and an act of gratitude to you,
our God, for ever and ever.
Blessing
All is grace, all is a gift freely given. Even the use of our talents and our work is God's gift. Let us also give freely to our neighbor, like our love to the people close to us, but also our help to people who suffer, even if far away from us. And may Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
