Rich Toward God

In today's Gospel reading for the Parable of the Rich Fool, Abp. Irineos focuses on the moral of the parable: "So is he that layeth up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God."   While we can all imagine what it means to lay up treasures for ourselves, the much more difficult question is what it means to be rich toward God.  Drawing on patristic commentary, Abp. Irineos urges the faithful to struggle against the consumerism and egoism of modernity and use whatever means and power we may have to lay up treasures in heaven.