Sunday's Gospel and retirement savings

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Did you notice that this man did not speak of his workers who had helped, he did not have any family or friends, he did not speak of sharing anything?
 
Maybe one point of the readings is don’t put wealth, power, etc. as a priority before God. The difficult part especially in today’s culture is how do I make sure to put God first.
 
I’ve never heard this in a homily, it’s my take on it.
The man in the parable obviously worked hard every day to get such a huge yield. Every day he got out of bed and worked in the heat of the day.

We as Catholics understand that doing our daily duties is required of us. Every day we get out of bed and take care of business. The difference for us as Catholics is that before we go into our day, we should unite all our struggles and sufferings of the day with Christ, for the conversion of sinners as our Mother asked at Fatima. Then when we labor, we are working with the Lord. He will not say “I never knew you”. We are going to be the little boy who brings the Lord his few fish and loaves and Jesus feeds the 5,000. Every day we should be working for the kingdom of Heaven as we go about our business. Sanctifying our day with the Lord.

The man in the parable worked hard but the heavenly things were neglected. We Catholics have our hands at the plow, looking at the Lord. Let’s remind each other to do so!
 
You know, I just remembered in Acts or one of the Epistles, there were a number of rich individuals who joined the Christian faith. They didn’t give up all their wealth. They were generous though. It’s seems to be a discretionary matter to echo what others have already said.
 
We know Joseph of Arimathea was rich. We know the centurion whose servant was healed was rich. I’m sure they were not attached to their wealth, though.
 
Having wealth not only allows you to take care of yourself over time, but allows you contribute to your church and help others over time. If you give it all away at once, you won’t be able to help others after the original gift, and you will eventually become a burden to others when you can no longer work.
 
Convert3 said:
Having wealth not only allows you to take care of yourself over time, but allows you contribute to your church and help others over time. If you give it all away at once, you won’t be able to help others after the original gift, and you will eventually become a burden to others when you can no longer work.
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Right.

If I don’t save for my own retirement I might need to get help from the government or be a burden on relatives.

I interpret the Gospel as talking about the person who’s mega-wealthy who has much more than they’ll ever need in their lifetime, or the person who’s obsessed with wealth to the neglect of other things.
 
The saints generally interpret this as regarding superfluous wealth. Giving up all possessions is an evangelical counsel, not a command. What is superfluous varies from person to person, depending on their circumstances, as St. Robert Bellarmine notes in “The Art of Dying Well”:
Lastly, It is necessary above all things, if we wish to be saved and to die a good death, diligently to enquire, either by our own reading and meditation, or by consulting holy and learned men, whether our “superfluous” riches can be retained with out sin, or whether we ought of necessity to give them to the poor; and again, what are to be understood by superfluities, and what by necessary goods. It may happen that to some men moderate riches may be superfluous; whilst to others great riches may be absolutely essential.
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In fact, having the opportunity to provide for retirement is a matter of social justice, according to Catholic doctrine (cf. Pius XI, Divini Redemptoris 52).

But in general, this is why the evangelical counsels are the easier way to Heaven–in this case, if you give up everything, you don’t have to worry about what is superfluous and what is not! (of course, embracing the counsels requires its own serious process of discernment).
 
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Genesis315 said:
In fact, having the opportunity to provide for retirement is a matter of social justice, according to Catholic doctrine (cf. Pius XI, Divini Redemptoris 52).
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What is your opinion on what that opportunity looks like, in today’s social environment?
 
I would look at the preceding question that caused Jesus to relay this question. Immediately before Jesus provides the parable of the rich man who builds larger barns, Jesus is asked by someone to command his brother to divide his inheritance with him. These were not his rightful belongings but those of his brother. Jesus responds by saying, who made me a judge over you, and then begins by warning against covetousness and greed. I think the issue here is less about saving for one’s future, than with placing your hope in riches. I think it is totally responsible to plan for your retirement. Also, one can conceivably save for retirement while still being a good steward for charitable giving.
 
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It can take a variety of forms, including personal savings, but the encyclical I cited also specifically mentions both private and public forms of insurance for old age, unemployment, disability, etc.
 
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