……from the Pastor’s Desk
There is something appealing about the question in today’s gospel. It comes from a sincere young man who was serious about finding the way to eternal life. It is a serious question, “What must I do to gain eternal life?” He REALLY WANTS an answer.
Interestingly enough – In his reply Jesus named a number of commandments, all of which have to do with how we are to relate to other people. Jesus indicates that the way to eternal life for us entails relating in a life-giving way to others here and now… interesting…isn’t it? This young man was not satisfied with Jesus’ answer because he felt he was already doing what Jesus was asking for, and, yet, he knew there was more he could be doing.
When Jesus revealed what this “more” would involve for this particular young man, it again had to do with his relationship to others, in particular the poor, the needy. Jesus called on him personally to sell what he had…and give the money to the poor. This was a step too far for the man.
HERE IS THE POINT OFTEN MISSED ABOUT THIS SCRIPTURE TEXT:
- Jesus did not make this particular demand of everybody he encountered then.
- Jesus does not make this particular demand of everybody he encounters now!
- If everyone became poor – then who would provide for them?
AND – AND, please take this in the light of which I am saying it, that we are always called to reach out and attend to the poor – still it’s a serious mistake to think that mere poverty makes someone holy. Nor does wealth make someone generous. Both can be neither – or both. It isn’t poverty or wealth, but it is the mind-set of the person involved.
St. Elizabeth of Hungary and St. Margaret of Scotland as well as St. Louis IX of France, were all fabulously wealthy, but their wealth was not the center of their lives. They used what they had to serve God …completely.
What Jesus wants is our allegiance. He wants us to release ourselves from mere earthly possessions that keep us bound to material things, and allow our spirits to soar where the Holy Spirit leads. He wants us to be free. When thinking about wealth, we should not be considering how best to display it, but how best to use it for the common good. All are welcome. God only asks that we value what is real and eternal rather than what will pass away with us.
For all of us, rich, poor and everything in-between, the path to life, the path of life, will always be the path of love, of loving relationships with others. That is the greatest treasure of all, and the only thing we will take with us into eternity – loving relationships with others. That is what Jesus, in His compassion for this young man, was trying to show him. By his teaching, by his life and his death, Jesus shows us all what relating in a loving way to others looks like.
Come, let us follow Him…
Father Ron
