Mark 10:17-27

In this weekend’s Gospel reading, a rich young man stops Jesus and asks what he must do to inherit eternal life. There is something absolutely right about the young man, something spiritually alive, and that is his deep desire to share in everlasting life. He knows what he wants, and he knows where to find it.

Jesus responds to his wonderful question by enumerating many of the commandments. The young man takes this in, and replies, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” So, Jesus looks at him, and loves him, saying, “Go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”

Bishop Robert Barron reminds us, “God is nothing but love, straight through, and therefore the life of friendship with him, in the richest sense, is a life of total love, self-forgetting love. Jesus senses that this young man is ready for the high adventure of the spiritual life; he is asking the right question and he is properly prepared. But at this point, the young man tragically balks. The spiritual life, at the highest pitch, is about giving your life away,” and this is why having many possessions can be a problem.

Even if we follow all the commandments, there can still be obstacles to life with God. Simply put: stuff. Do we have too much stuff, exceeding our needs? We have been asked to pack lightly—we can’t take it all with us. From our television sets to our smart phones and devices that offer constant contact and communication, what entices us to invest in so much material gain? It’s a good question to ask ourselves, because if it were all gone tomorrow, who would we be?

We don’t need much to follow Christ. Possessions are not what matter. In fact, we can leave them behind. As human beings, we cannot make the impossible possible. But God can. In God, our salvation is possible! The kingdom of God is ours. May we receive the gift of God’s holy Wisdom and praise God for the riches given us.

Fr. Terry