Reflection/Homily: Eighteenth (18th) Sunday of Ordinary Time Year C. - 3rd August 2013
Theme: The Danger of Consumerism
Consumerism is an ideology that supports individuals to keep accumulating wealth for themselves. In other words, it is the attitude of avarice and it has eaten deep into the fabrics of our society. People are no longer satisfied with the basic necessities of life. Instead, they develop an ever-increasing and insatiable quest for wealth. To worsen the matter, most often these people indulge in deplorable activities just for the sake of gaining material wealth.
In the wake of the 21st century, now that consumerism has become the order of the day, the first reading (Eccl. 1:2,2:21-23) reminds us that all is vanity. This is a call to remind Christians that all we struggle to achieve and possess in this world would one day cease to be ours and become the property of those who do not know how much we suffered to acquire them. Sometimes, there is even a tendency for them to squander them like the prodigal son. The reading is not an invitation to abandon the pursuit of earthly goods but a reminder not to consider them as the end of life.
