A fool and his money. Are soon parted, right? Someone has rewritten it to suggest that "A fool and his money are some party!" OK. Some of us are old enough to remember Adlai Stevenson, Governor of Illinois, UN Ambassador, two-time Democratic candidate for President, and rare wit. Stevenson once said, "There was a time when a fool and his money were soon parted, but now it happens to everybody."(1) Amen? Amen!

Of course, this link between a fool and money (or possessions) goes back along way, all the way to our Gospel lesson. The story is prompted by a man from the crowd which has been surrounding Jesus: "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." Apparently the man's older brother refused to give him what he felt he was due. The laws of inheritance in that day sti…