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Greetings once again and welcome to the Signature Word Podcast. This is for the week of Monday, July 20th, 2026. Today, we continue with part three of our series entitled The Parable of the Rich Fool as spoken by Jesus in the book of Saint Luke, chapter 12 and verses 13 through 21. Jesus' characteristic method of teaching was through parables. Parable is a short story designed to communicate a spiritual truth, religious principle, or moral lesson. It is a figure of speech in which truth is illustrated by a comparison or example drawn from everyday experiences. It is literally a placing beside or comparison of earthly truths, an illustration of one subject to another. Parables prove that the external is the mirror in which we may behold the internal and the spiritual. In the previous episode we illustrated the first two ways where the main character's way of life exposed him as the text defined a fool, and they were a godless fool and a rich fool. In this episode we further illustrate the next two ways in which he was exposed as a fool. Next he was a self centered fool. Notice how prominent are the pronouns of personal possessions in the text. There are six eyes, five my four I wills, showing the selfish focus this man has as a result of his fortune. His plan is to store his abundant resources for himself. This focus on the self is what Jesus is condemning. His property was the center of all his thoughts, hopes, and aims. God was not in his plans or thoughts. In the sixty second Psalm and verse ten it says If riches increase, set not your heart upon them. This verse this serves as a warning against placing trust in material wealth or becoming overly attached to it. The verse advises that one should not let the accumulation of riches lead to vanity or oppression, emphasizing that true refuge and strength come from God, not from wealth. He gave no thought to the fact that the God whom he willfully excluded owns everything. The corn is his, it grew on his earth, was watered by his rain and ripened by his son. The barns are his, his forest grew the timber out of which they have been built. He does not even own his life. It was given to him by God, and one day to be returned to him. Now while his dilemma was that he did not have enough room in his barns to store his goods, there was plenty of room in the homes of the destitute and in the mouths and stomachs of the hungry. There are poor fools as well as rich fools. No matter on what rung of the social ladder you happen to stand, if you ignore God, if you cater to your own life without taking God and others into consideration, then you also are a fool. Next he was an ambitious fool. The rich man's ambition was selfish and sensual. He was determined to build larger barns, not that he might give away and with which to glorify God, but that his increased reserves might add to his own indulgences. His real aim was twofold to have security for many years and to gratify the lust of the flesh by eating, drinking and being merry. He made no provision for his life after death. He never saw beyond this world. All his plans were made on the basis of life here. And because of this, our concluding episode of this series next Monday ultimately exposes him finally as a doomed fool. And now our weekly signature thought. Remember this simple wisdom. The answer is always no if you don't ask, but when you swing hard at life, even knowing you might miss, you give yourself a chance to actually connect with what matters. May God bless you.