Redefining Security
[The rich man] said, “I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”
—Luke 12:18–19
Brian McLaren reflects on Jesus’ Parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12:15–21) as a critique of our reliance on money for security:
This man epitomizes the confidence and narcissism of a civilization…. He talks to himself about himself, and neither listens to nor thinks of anyone else…. He asks himself what to do to maintain stability, to keep the system going, to keep the growth in GDP flowing, so he can take it easy, party, and chill. He tells himself the answer (wealth is the ultimate echo chamber): Grow! Build bigger barns to hoard more stuff….
A collapse in the rich man’s health interrupts his schemes for wealth…. He was rich, yes, filthy rich in a certain selfish sense. But rich toward God? Rich in wisdom to remember that he is a candle, that life is a gift, and that his flame will someday go out? Rich in caring about others, especially the poor and vulnerable, so beloved of God? He proves utterly bankrupt in all these departments. He is forever known as the rich fool….
Every system of self-centered civilization with its barns and banks for hoarding will inevitably collapse, the story of the rich fool reminds us. Meanwhile, … the divine ecosystem of interdependence and sharing, the holy and harmonious arrangement of life in which wildflowers and ravens live and thrive … it goes on. That’s where to put your heart. That’s where to invest your inner energies:
Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also [Luke 12:32–34]….
So, Jesus says, liquidate your capitol in the fragile, failing human system. Reinvest your energies in the larger-than-human system of life. That’s why loving your neighbors, especially your poor neighbors, is so important. Better to have less stored in your bank account and more given to those in need. Better to be poor in money and rich in generous relationships…. If you love God and neighbor, you love what matters … unlike the rich fool, who loved only himself and his money….
If your heart is fully invested in the rich fool’s economy, the judgment that is passed upon that system is passed upon you…. But if you withdraw your consent from the rich man’s human system of wealth, if you transfer your trust to the larger system, if you seek first and foremost the divine ecosystem, you will end up with everything you need.
Reference:
Brian D. McLaren, Life After Doom: Wisdom and Courage for a World Falling Apart (St. Martin’s Essentials, 2024), 233, 234, 235–237.
Image credit and inspiration: Aarón Blanco Tejedor, untitled (detail), 2017, photo, Finland, Unsplash. Click here to enlarge image. An open hand offering apples becomes a quiet critique of greed, embodying the wisdom and spirituality of enoughness where abundance is shared, not hoarded.
Story from Our Community:
As an elderly member of my community, I get quite discouraged to notice my younger Sisters spending money on bags of snacks and leaving them unfinished. On volunteering to tidy up what’s been left behind, I found myself resenting them. Fr. Richard’s meditation “Going Somewhere Good” opened up my short-sightedness to the eternal vistas, from “me-narrow-mindedness” to “you-respectable-personality.” I’m grateful to the good Lord who keeps reminding me through the Spirit that “We are thus bookended in a Personal Love—coming from Love and moving toward an ever more inclusive Love.”
—Louisa L.