AVARICE AND THE FOOLISH RICH MAN

AVARICE AND THE FOOLISH RICH MAN

«Listen» says Jesus. «It is true that the alterations of the spirit are reflected on

one's face. It is as if the demon appeared on the surface of his possession. Only

few people who are demons, either in deeds or appearance, do not disclose what

they are. And those few are perfect in evil and perfectly possessed. The countenance

of a just man, instead, is always beautiful, even if his face is materially

disfigured, because of a supernatural beauty, which from the interior exudes

exteriorly. And it is not just a saying, but a real fact, that we notice a bodily

freshness as well in those who are free from vices. The soul within us envelops

our whole being. The stench of a corrupt soul affects also the body, whereas the

scent of a pure soul preserves it. A corrupt soul drives the flesh to obscene sins,

which age and disfigure the body. A pure soul incites the body to a pure life,

which grants a fresh complexion and imparts majesty.

Endeavour to keep your youth spiritually pure, or to revive it, if you have

already lost it, and beware of greed, both for sensual pleasures and for power.

The life of man does not depend on the abundance of his wealth, neither in

present life and much less in the next one, eternal life. It depends instead on his

way of living, as well as his happiness, both on the earth and in Heaven.

Because a vicious man is never really happy. On the contrary, a virtuous man is

always happy with a celestial joy, even if he is poor and alone. Not even death

upsets him. Because he has no sins or remorse making him fear to meet God,

neither does he regret what he leaves on the earth. He knows that his treasure is

in Heaven and like a man who goes to take the inheritance due to him, a holy

inheritance, he goes happily and solicitously towards death, which opens to him

the gate of the Kingdom where is his treasure.

Store up your treasure at once. Begin in your youth, you young people; work

incessantly, you older people, who are closer to death because of your age. But

since the date of death is unknown, and a child often dies before a venerable old

man, do not postpone the work of storing up your treasure of virtues and good

deeds for the next life, lest death should reach you before you have placed a

treasure of merits in Heaven. Many people say: “Oh! I am young and strong! I

will enjoy myself for the time being on the earth, and I will turn later.” A big

mistake!

Listen to this parable. A rich man's estate had yielded a good harvest. A really

miraculous harvest. He looks happily at so much abundance piling up in his

fields and threshing-floors and which is to be stored in provisional sheds and

even in the rooms of his house, since his barns cannot hold it all, and says: 'I

have worked like a slave but I have not been disappointed by my fields. I have

worked as much as for ten harvests, and I am going to rest just as long. What

shall I do to put away all this crop? I do not want to sell it otherwise I would be

compelled to work to have a new crop next year. This is what I will do: I will

knock down my granaries and build larger ones, capable of holding all my crops

and my goods. And then I will say to my soul: 'Oh, my soul! You have aside

goods for many years. Rest, therefore, eat, drink and have a good time'.” The

man, like many more people, mistook his soul for his body and mixed the sacred

and the profane, because in actual fact a soul does not rejoice in revelries and

idleness, but languishes. And the man, like many, after the first good harvest in

the fields of virtue, stopped, as he thought he had done everything.

But do you not know that once you have laid your hand on the plough you must

persevere for one, ten, one hundred years, as long as your life lasts, because to

stop is a crime against oneself, as one denies oneself a greater glory, and it is a

regression, because generally he who stops not only does not proceed further,

but turns back? The treasure of Heaven must increase year by year to be good.

Because if Mercy is benign to those also who had few years to store it up, it will

not be an accomplice of lazy people who in a long life do little. It is a treasure

increasing continuously. Otherwise it is no longer a fruit-bearing treasure, but an

unfruitful one, which is detrimental to the readily available peace of Heaven.

God said to the foolish man: “Fool! You mistake body and wealth of the earth

for what is spirit and you turn the grace of God into evil. This very night the

demand will be made for your soul, and it will be taken away and your body will

lie lifeless. And this hoard of yours, whose will it be then? Will you take it with

you? No. You will come to My presence despoiled of earthly crops and spiritual

works and you will be poor in the next life. It would have been better if you had

used your crops for works of mercy on behalf of your neighbour and yourself.

Because if you had been merciful towards others, you would have been merciful

to your own soul. And instead of fostering idle thoughts, you could have plied a

trade which would have given an honest profit for your body and great merit for

your soul until I called you.” And the man died that night and was severely

judged. I tell you solemnly that that happens to those who store up treasure for

275.Avarice and the Foolish Rich Man. 7

themselves but do not grow rich in the eyes of God.

Go now and avail yourselves of the doctrine explained to you. Peace be with

you.» And Jesus blesses and withdraws into a thicket with His apostles and

disciples to take some food and rest. And while eating He continues to speak on

the same lesson, repeating a subject already explained several times to the

apostles and which I think will never be clarified enough, because man is too

easily seized with foolish fears.

«You must believe» He says, «that man should worry only about making

himself rich in virtue. But mind you: you must not worry anxiously or painfully.

Good is the enemy of anxiety, of fears, of haste, which still show too many

traces of avarice, jealousy and human mistrust. Let your work be constant,

confident, peaceful, without rough starts and stops, as onagers do. But no one

makes use of them, unless one is mad, to go on a safe journey. Be peaceful in

victory and peaceful in defeat. Also tears shed for an error you made and which

grieves you because by it you have displeased God, must be peaceful, comforted

by humility and trust. Prostration, anger against oneself are always a symptom

of pride and lack of confidence. He who is humble knows that he is a poor man

subject to the miseries of the flesh, which at times triumphs. He who is humble

puts his trust not so much in himself as in God, and is serene also when defeated

and says: “Forgive me, Father. I know that You are aware of my weakness

which overwhelms me at times. I will believe that You pity me. I am fully

confident that You will help me in future even more than heretofore, notwithstanding

I please You so little.” Do not be indifferent or avaricious with regard

to the gifts of God. Give generously what you possess of wisdom and virtue.

Be active in spiritual matters as men are with regard to their bodies. And as far

as your bodies are concerned do not imitate the people of the world who always

tremble for their future, fearing they may lack what is superfluous, that they may

be taken ill, or die, that enemies may be harmful, and so on. God knows what

you are in need of. Therefore be not afraid for your future. Be free from tears,

which are heavier than the chains of galley-slaves. Do not be anxious about the

necessities of life: what you will eat, or drink and how you will clothe yourself.

The life of the spirit is worth more than the life of the body and the body is

worth more than clothes, because you live with your bodies and not with your

clothes and through the mortification of your bodies you help your souls to

attain eternal life. God knows how long He will leave your souls in your bodies,

and He will give you what is necessary until that hour. He gives it to crows,

impure birds which feed on corpses and the reason for their being is just to

remove putrifying corpses. And will He not give you what is necessary? Crows

have neither larders nor granaries and God feeds them just the same. You are

men, not crows. At present you are the cream of men because you are the

disciples of the Master, the evangelizers of the world, the servants of God. And

can you possibly think that God may neglect you, even for what concerns your

clothes, since He takes care of the lilies of the valleys and makes them grow and

clothes them with such beautiful robes that Solomon never possessed the like,

and yet they do no work but scent worshipping God? It is true that by yourselves

you cannot add one tooth to a toothless mouth, or lengthen by one inch a

contracted leg, or make dimmed eyes bright. And if you cannot do such things,

can you think you may be able to repel misery and diseases and turn dust into

food? You cannot. But do not be of little faith. You will always have what you

need. Do not worry like the people of the world who strive to satisfy their

pleasures. You have your Father Who knows what you need. All you must seek,

and it must be your first care, is the Kingdom of God and His justice, and all the

rest will be given to you as well.

Be not afraid, My little flock. My Father was pleased to call you to the

Kingdom, that you may have His Kingdom. You may, therefore, aspire to it and

assist the Father through your good will and holy activity. Sell your property

and give the money to charity, if you are alone. Give your relatives means of

subsistence as compensation for your abandoning the house to follow Me,

because it is unfair to deprive children and wife of their daily bread. And if you

cannot sacrifice money, sacrifice the wealth of your affections. They are money

which God evaluates for what they are: gold which is purer than any other gold;

pearls which are more precious than those taken from the sea, and rubies which

are rarer than those found in the bowels of the earth. Because to renounce one's

family for My sake is love which is more perfect than the purest gold, it is a

pearl made of tears, a ruby made of blood wailing from the wound of one's

heart, torn to pieces by the separation from father and mother, wife and children.

But such purses never wear out, such treasures never fail. Thieves cannot break

into Heaven. Wood-worms cannot eat what is deposited there. And have Heaven

in your hearts and your hearts in Heaven near your treasures. Because a heart,

whether good or wicked, is with what you consider your dear treasure. So as a

heart is there where its treasure is (in Heaven), so the treasure is there where the

heart is (within you), nay, the treasure is within the heart and with the treasure of

saints, in the heart there is the Heaven of saints.

275.Avarice and the Foolish Rich Man. 8

Be always ready like those who are about to depart or are waiting for their

master. You are the servants of the Master-God. He can call you where He is

any moment, or come where you are. Be, therefore, always ready to go, or to

pay Him homage, with work or travelling belt round your waists and lamps lit in

your hands. Coming out of a wedding party with one who has preceded you in

Heaven and in being consecrated to God on the earth, God may remember that

you are waiting and may say: “Let us go to Stephen or to John, or to James and

to Peter.” And God is fast in coming or saying: “Come.” So be ready to open the

door to Him when He arrives or to leave, should He call you.

Blessed are those servants whom the Master finds vigilant on His arrival. I tell

you solemnly that to reward them for their faithful waiting, He will gird His

waist, make them sit at the table and serve them. He may come at the first, or

second or third watch. You do not know, so be always vigilant. And you will be

happy if you are so and the Master finds you thus! Do not flatter yourselves by

saying: “There is time. He will not come tonight.” Evil would befall you. You

do not know. If one knew when a thief is going to come, one would not leave

the house unguarded so that a robber may force the door and coffers. Be

prepared as well, because when you least expect Him, the Son of man will come

saying: “It is time.”»

Peter, who has even forgotten to finish his food, to listen to the Lord, when he

sees that Jesus is silent, asks: «What You said, is it for us or for everybody?»

«It is for you and for everybody. But it is primarily for you, because you are like

stewards put by the Master at the head of the servants and it is your duty to be

twice as vigilant, both as stewards and as simple believers. What must a steward

be like, once he has been put by his master at the head of the servants, so that he

may give each his fair portion at the right moment? He must be shrewd and

loyal, in order to fulfill his own duty and make his subordinates fulfill theirs.

Otherwise the interests of the master would suffer a loss, whereas he pays so

that the steward may act on his behalf and safeguard his interests while he is

away.

Happy is the servant whom the master finds acting loyally, diligently and

honestly, on his returning home. I tell you solemnly that he will appoint his

steward over other estates, over all his estates, and will relax and rejoice in his

heart because of the reliability of his servant. But if the servant says: “Well! My

master is very far away and has written to me that he will be delayed in coming

back home. So I can do what I like and I will do the necessary when I think he is

about to come.” And he begins to eat and drink until he gets drunk and gives

crazy orders and, as the good servants under him refuse to carry them out not to

cause damage to their master, he beats servants and maids until they are taken ill

and decline. And thinking that he is happy he says: “At last I relish being the

master and feared by everybody.” But what will happen to him? It will happen

that the master will arrive when he least expects him, catching him perhaps in

the very act of pocketing money or bribing some of the most unreliable servants.

Then, I tell you, the master will throw him out, depriving him of his position as

steward, and refusing to keep him among his servants, because it is not right to

keep unfaithful traitors among honest people. And the more the master

previously loved and instructed him, the more he will be punished.

Because the more one is aware of the will and mind of the master, the more one

is obliged to fulfill it accurately. If one does not act as the master explained in so

great detail that nobody else was told so clearly, one will be severely beaten,

whereas an inferior servant, who knows little and does wrong while he thinks he

is doing right, will receive a less severe punishment. Much will be requested of

him who was given much, and he who has much in his care, will have to return

much, because My stewards will be asked to give an account also of the soul of

a baby one hour old.

My election is not a cool relaxation in a flowery little wood. I came to bring fire

on the earth; and what can I wish for but that it may light up? That is why I tire

Myself and I want you to tire yourselves until you die and until the whole earth

is a celestial bonfire. I am to be baptised with a baptism. And how distressed I

will be until it is accomplished! Are you not asking why? Because through it I

will be able to make you Fire-bearers, agitators who will act in every and against

every social stratum, to make it one thing only: the flock of Christ.

Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? And according to the

way of thinking of the earth? No. On the contrary, I came to bring discord and

separation. Because from now on, and until the whole world becomes one only

flock, of five people in one house two will be against three, and the father will

be against his son, and the son against the father, the mother against her

daughters and the daughters against the mother and mothers-in-law and

daughters-in-law will have a further reason not to understand each other,

because a new language will be spoken by some lips, and it will be like Babel,

because a deep disturbance will agitate the reign of human and superhuman

affections. Then the time will come when everything will be unified in a new

language, spoken by all those who have been saved by the Nazarene, and

feelings will be filtered like water, as the dross will sink to the bottom, while the

limpid waves of celestial lakes will shine on the surface.

Truly, it is not restful to serve Me, according to the meaning man attaches to that

word. Heroism and indefatigability are required. But I tell you that at the end it

will be Jesus, still and always Jesus, Who will gird His waist to serve you, and

will sit with you at an eternal banquet and all labour and sorrow will be

forgotten.