Retirement: for Me or For God?

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time - 08/03/25 Retirement: For Me or For God? In today's Gospel, Jesus tells of a wealthy man who stored up riches for himself, only to be called a fool by God—not for working hard, but for forgetting eternity. He lived as though his future belonged to him, not to God. This challenges us in a culture that views retirement as finally doing what we want. The Christian question is different: Is retirement about me, or is it about God and others? Ecclesiastes reminds us that work without God is vanity. St. Paul urges us to "seek what is above" and put on Christ. Retirement, then, isn't the reward for decades of labor. It's a new vocation—a fresh opportunity to serve, love, and live for God more freely. The Christian mission never retires. Key Questions: Am I investing my time, resources, and energy in what matters to God? Am I growing as His disciple and helping others come to Him? True retirement is not self-indulgence, but self-gift. Not vanity, but eternal value. Every day, even in small hidden moments, we are called to glorify God and bring souls to Him.