Rotting in the Barn

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. God is one. Amen.

The Gospel for today from the 12th chapter of the Gospel of St Luke is a parable—a story that tells a lesson—a story which Jesus Christ tells His followers. As we have just heard, there was a rich man, a very successful farmer, who decided to “pull down [his] barns and built larger ones . . . to store all [his] grain and . . . goods.” Then he told his soul, “‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’” Jesus Christ concluded, “[Foolish] is he who lays up treasures for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

That’s a powerful phrase—to seek to be “rich toward God.” As I began to prepare this sermon, I puzzled, How do we each become “rich toward God?” I didn’t have an answer. I went to bed, puzzling over what the answer might be. That night I had a dream—a very interesting dream. I was a member of a governing board of a very successful company. I don’t know what the company was selling or where it was located. However, there was one section of the company that was losing a lot of money. The governing board wanted to sell it, but no one wanted to buy it. So, I suggested at this board meeting in my dream that the company should give this section away (that is, sell it for £1) and not ask for any payment until the newly-sold section was making a profit. The board enthusiastically agreed to my suggestion.

Well, when the board meeting ended, the chairman of the company called me over for a private chat. He asked me, “Would you like to become Vice-Chairman of this company? The salary would be in seven figures [that is, over a million pounds a year], and you wouldn’t have to do much work, just come to the meetings.” It was unspoken by him, but we both knew he was saying to me, “I would like you to succeed me as chairman of this company when I move on to another job.” I replied in my dream, “I’ll have to think about it.” Then I thought in my dream, “I’m an Orthodox priest. I should tell him.” I had not been wearing my cassock and cross, so the chairman did not know I was an Orthodox priest. So I told him. And he shouted, “What!” at which point I woke up. In the dream, it was immediately clear to both of us that being the vice-chairman or chairman of a big company was not a possible way for an Orthodox priest to live. Receiving a huge amount of money for very little work was not right.

Next morning, I reflected on my dream. I thought, “Of course, it was not appropriate for an Orthodox priest to accept such an offer.” But then I wondered, “Would it be right for an Orthodox lay person to accept such a position?” Perhaps; but it would depend on how the company was treating its employees and investors, as well as what the company was making and how those products related to climate change and other environmental issues. A lot of prayer would be required first. There is a big question here: Is it possible to be rich in worldly goods and to be “rich toward God” at the same time? What does it mean for any of us to be “rich toward God”?

In the verse before today’s gospel, Jesus Christ states firmly that a person’s “life does not consist in the abundance of . . . possessions.” Preaching about this gospel, St Augustine quoted the words of Proverbs, chapter 13, verse 8, “The redemption of a man’s soul is his [true] riches.” St Augustine continued: “This silly fool of a man did not have that kind of riches. . . . He was not redeeming his soul by giving [help] to the poor. He was hoarding perishable crops. . . . He did not realise that the bellies of the poor were much safer storerooms than his barns. . . . If he stowed it away in the bellies of the poor, it would of course be digested on earth, but in heaven it would be kept all the more safely. ‘The redemption of a man’s soul is his [true] riches,’” concluded St Augustine [Sermon 36.9].

St Augustine’s fourth century contemporary, St Cyril of Alexandria strongly supports St Augustine. St Cyril preached: “It is true that a person’s life is not from one’s possessions or because of having an overabundance. He who is rich toward God is very blessed and has glorious hope.” St Cyril asks: what are the characteristics of someone who is “rich toward God”? He answers his question with the words: “One [is rich toward God] who does not love wealth but rather loves virtue, and to whom [a] few things are sufficient. It is one whose hand is open to the needs of the poor comforting the sorrows of those in poverty according to his means and the utmost of his power. [Such a person] gathers in the storehouses that are above and lays up treasures in heaven. Such a one shall . . . [receive] the reward of his right and blameless life,” concluded St Cyril [Commentary on Luke, Homily 89]. So, both St Augustine and St Cyril preach clearly that if we wish to be “rich toward God” we should give generously to the poor.

In the Book of Romans in the New Testament, there is a further meaning for the word “rich”—about how God is “rich” toward us. Romans chapter 10, verses 12 and 13 read: “There is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For ‘whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’” So, if we each make the decision to be “rich toward God”—to believe in Him and to pray to Him and to seek to live justly—then when we call upon Him, we will receive salvation—eternal life in heaven.

So, if we live our lives on earth so that we are “rich toward God,” He responds by being “rich” toward us. There is a shared relationship between each of us and God in which if we pray to Him and live justly and seek salvation, He responds by granting us eternal life. But, while we are still alive on earth, how can we activate this relationship between each of us and God? How can we bring this mutual relationship between us and God into operation fully NOW?

My experience is that for families this often happens in the midst of the Divine Liturgy when we go to Holy Communion, especially when parents bring their children to Holy Communion and receive Holy Communion first themselves. Where there is already love between parents and children in the midst of the family, it is good to bring Christ Himself into that love by receiving His Body and Blood. For those of us without children or whose children have grown up, when we receive Holy Communion, then each of us, single or married, are face to face with the Risen Lord, Jesus Christ, with or without family members beside us. Christ is not demanding something from us by offering us His Body and Blood. Rather, He is offering to draw closer to us and to be united to us. Christ wishes to share our hopes and our problems, to guide us into His purposes for each of our lives.

Certainly, we need to prepare for Holy Communion—to pray and to repent for any sins we have committed before receiving Holy Communion. However, within the Antiochian Orthodox Church we are not required to go to confession every week before receiving Holy Communion. No priest here at St Aidan’s—not Father Gregory nor I nor Father James who will soon be joining us will be examining your behaviour this past week before offering you Holy Communion. The offer of Holy Communion comes to you from Christ Himself. We as priests who give that Holy Communion to you are simply instruments—vehicles—to help you draw closer to Christ.

As priests and lay people, we can rejoice together today that when we are “rich toward God” and seek salvation and give generously to the poor, then the Lord responds by being “rich” toward us, granting us salvation in heaven and increasing unity with Him here on earth.

And so, we ascribe as is justly due all might, majesty, dominion, power and praise to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, always now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. Father Emmanuel Kahn