From foolishness to responsibility: reflections from the parable of Lk 12,13-21

Abstract

The objective of this article is to analyze the parable of the rich fool of Lk 12,13-21, presenting the context, the structure of the textual genre, the semantics and its consequences. In the search for updating its content, critical reflections were presented about the consumer society, as well as the tendency of modern man to accumulate. Linking exclusively with material goods provides more production of objects, more demand for consumption and, consequently, more disposable material, putting all life on the planet at risk. Jesus' response in the parable is an invitation to responsibility, starting with personal conversion, renouncing individualism and opening up to the experience of caring and fraternal encounter, forming social bonds with each other and with the environment in which they live.