Homily by Fr. Ruslan Babii on the Twenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:19–21).

The greatest mistake of the hero in today’s parable is his desire to exert control—control over his property and his life. He fails to recognise the inherent instability of life and, imagining he has eliminated all risks, envisions a future of happiness and ease. This illusion becomes the goal of his life. Now, with a bountiful harvest, he believes he has achieved his dream: the ability to stop working, rest, and enjoy life. He says to his soul, “Now you have enough! Eat, drink, and be merry!” But then, death arrives unexpectedly, just as he thought he had secured everything needed for a long and happy life.

The lesson for us is sobering: many of us are even greater materialists than this rich man, and some may leave this life complaining that we didn’t have enough—never realising, before God, that we already had all we needed. And yet, we may still consider ourselves good Christians.

God called that man a “fool.” What will the Lord say to us at the end of our lives? Let us examine our lives and values. How do we imagine God will speak to us? Will He praise us for the way we lived and thought, or will He rebuke us for our foolishness? When will we wake up to reality?

The rich man deceived himself into believing that everything he had belonged solely to him. He was foolish because he excluded God from his life. This man said to himself, “I am the author of my life; my goods belong to me.” How much we resemble him when we think that everything we have is ours! We may reason, “I worked hard and saved; doesn’t it belong to me?” Yes, it does. But does this entitle us to decide how to use it without considering God? No.

The rich fool forgot that all good things in life are gifts from God. He failed to understand that God desires us to be filled with joy through the accumulation of virtues, not material wealth. The rich man sought to satisfy his physical needs, neglecting his soul, which was impoverished. God wanted him to be rich in virtue.

Wealth is indeed a blessing from the Lord, but it is entrusted to us to do His will. It is not given to be spent selfishly, to inspire pride, or to abuse the power it provides. We must remember to store up true treasures in heaven!

Jesus came to show us the way to true happiness. This is the essence of today’s gospel. The rich man believed he could find happiness in material wealth, but he ignored the truth: no matter how much we accumulate in this life, death will take it all away. True happiness, peace, and security cannot exist if we do not acknowledge death as a constant companion on our earthly journey.

The memory of death gives our earthly life its proper perspective in light of eternity. If I knew today was my last, how would I live it? What would I do? What would I say? As Christians, we should live with the awareness that any moment could be our last—not in fear but with hope, striving to store up treasures in heaven. By working faithfully and for God’s glory, we prepare for eternal joy. Then we can truly rejoice, for when our hearts are with God, He becomes our ultimate treasure, and we shall be with Him forever.

See also

October 2 “Happy Holidays with God” in Ardeer September 21 Homily by Fr. Ruslan Babii on the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost August 20 Bishop Mykola Bychok at a parish feast in Ardeer: ‘Our lives are not eternal. Eternity is waiting for us.’