True Wealth Is Based On Our Relationship With God

Speaker: Archbishop Loren Thomas Hines

August 05, 2025

in Spritual Growth

No Comments

306

August 3, 2025

Readings: Ecclesiastes 1:12-14; 2:18-23
Colossians 3:12-17
Luke 12:32-40

8th Sunday of Ordinary Time 2025 Homily – Abp. Hines

The Gospel today is quite confrontational in that it is meant to stir us and challenge how we live our lives. God had blessed Adam and Eve with everything, but they listened to the enemy’s voice instead. We may be living in the world but our principles should be based on God’s ways.

The Gospel shows us that a young man goes to Jesus and asks Him to tell his older brother to give him the proper share of his inheritance. Jesus’ reply was that He was not the judge or arbiter between the two brothers. Looking at our lives today, we have been given everything. We are only to cultivate and make good use of what has been given to us. Jesus has done His part in redeeming the world, but like Adam and Eve, we listen to other voices and then expect God to do things for us when we have already been empowered to overcome obstacles along the way. When Christ ascended into heaven, He brought us with Him and seated us in the heavenly places, far above principalities and powers. However, we have chosen to listen to the world. Our hearts may be filled with the Word of God but our mind does not agree with our hearts. Too often we hear of the scripture that says, if two or three should agree on something, then it shall be done by God in heaven. But this is actually referring to the mind and heart. The mind and heart should be in agreement. Colossians 3: 12-14 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

We are to handle life the way God has created us to handle. He never loses a battle. Life is not based on what we own. We should not judge people by their possessions. It is what is in us, our character, our attitude based on God’s love that matters.

The Parable of the rich fool. Here we see this farmer whose ground yielded a good harvest of what he has planted. So he decided to build more barns to contain all this abundance. Then he kept on getting a good harvest so much so that the barns he built were not enough to store all these produces. He continued to build more barns as he told himself that he would never be in want for the rest of his life. He was doing everything he can to enrich himself without having even thinking of God, without sharing his wealth to others. His faith and confidence were in all of his possessions.

When we are blessed by God, we should be a blessing to others. God will take care of us. If only we pay attention to Him, then we would not be in want. Psalm 96: 13 “Let all creation rejoice before the LORD, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness.”

The Lord’s Prayer clearly states, “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” It is not our will but God’s will. God gave us peace and yet why do we live in fear and anxiety? We are to manifest His peace in our lives. We should live our lives for the glory of His Kingdom.