Greed is the deadly face of Evil, which completely destroys a person

GOSPEL THOUGHTS

*Ordinary Season : Ninth Week :  Monday*

*Gospel : Mk 12:1-12*

*First Reading : Tb 1:3; 2:1a-8*

*Greed is the deadly face of Evil, which completely destroys a person*

*1) Tenants who lost the sense of responsibility and the Gratitude*

In the Gospel of the day, we see a group of tenants who had been entrusted with a special responsibility

But the tenants forgot their important responsibility, and they became irresponsible tenants

Those tenants also should have been grateful to the master, who prepared a finest vineyard, and gave them to look after

Such was the attitude of the Master, but the tenants showed a very harsh attitude on ingratitude and they became blind to their responsibility

*2) Desire to have more leads to greed*

The primary problem the tenants had was, the *Desire to have More and to become rich in short period of time*

This uncontrolled desire to have more, automatically led them to strengthen their greed, which made the tenants to have short cuts in achieving their goal 

Finally the greed led to forget their responsibility and to show a attitude of ingratitude towards the Master 

*3) The greedy tenants*

When the tenants became so greedy to have more, they planned to achieve their goals through evil means 

So greed led them to use evil ways in achieving their goals

Their greed was so strong that they wanted to take over the entire vineyard of the Master through illegal means  

*4) The height of the Evil committed by the greedy tenants*

The greed to achieve the vineyard of the master led them to implement the evil ways 

Accordingly, they ill treated all the servants of the Master, who came to collect the produce, as a rent from the tenants 

Finally the owner sent His own Son, to collect the produce. But the greedy tenants killed the son of the master, thinking that they would get everything, what was belonging to the Master 

So this was the height of the stupidity of the greedy tenants 

*5) The fate of the greedy tenants*

The greedy tenants had a very bad, end of their lives 

The master came and killed all the greedy tenants and the vineyard was taken back from the greedy tenants

Finally their greed ended in losing their own life 

*6) Greed, results in losing everything*

In fact the greedy tenants lost everything

First of all they lost, whatever profit they would have got from doing their responsibility 

Secondly they lost their reputation and good name 

Thirdly they lost the vineyard itself 

Fourthly they lost their lives 

Finally, it proved that they lost everything they had

So,  greed results in losing everything they had 

*7) Greed is like a poison*

It is very dangerous to life 

No one can survive by having poison in life. Like wise no one can live a meaningful and peaceful life by having greed in ones life 

Greed is a self destroying poison in life 

*8) Present day Situation*

We see in an around us, many people who are succumbed by the effects of greed and lose everything in life 

Some times the greed, make some people  to steal, some people to kill others, and have illigal means, which finally takes them either in the prison or losing of their own life 

If this is the reality, even today, how do I manage the emotion of greed in my life? 

Am I too greedy for worldly things and other pleasures of life?

*Think about it*

*God bless you and your family. Praying for you and your dear ones*

*Fr Maxim DSouza*

*Jeppu Seminary*

*Mangalore*