28-May-18

Gospel MK 10:17-27
As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up,
knelt down before him, and asked him,
"Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good?
No one is good but God alone.
You know the commandments: You shall not kill;
you shall not commit adultery;
you shall not steal;
you shall not bear false witness;
you shall not defraud;
honor your father and your mother."
He replied and said to him,
"Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth."
Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him,
"You are lacking in one thing.
Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor
and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me."
At that statement, his face fell,
and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
Jesus looked around and said to his disciples,
"How hard it is for those who have wealth
to enter the Kingdom of God!"
The disciples were amazed at his words.
So Jesus again said to them in reply,
"Children, how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God!
It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God."
They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves,
"Then who can be saved?"
Jesus looked at them and said,
"For men it is impossible, but not for God.
All things are possible for God."
Reflection:
As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up,
knelt down before him, and asked him,
"Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good?
No one is good but God alone."
The man was obviously excited and quite taken with this charismatic Jesus who everyone must have been talking about. He ran up to Him and fell on his knees, calling Jesus, "Good teacher."
Jesus immediately took exception to being called "good" and reminded the man that "No one is good but God."
Jesus did not desire the man's admiration. He wanted the man to recognize and embrace the message He was sent to deliver; the Good News that he was loved unconditionally by God, and he should love his neighbor in the same way.
Jesus makes an important point: A teacher should never become a distraction to the lesson that is being taught.
'You know the commandments: You shall not kill;
you shall not commit adultery;
you shall not steal;
you shall not bear false witness;
you shall not defraud;
honor your father and your mother."
He replied and said to him,
"Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth."
Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him,
"You are lacking in one thing.
Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor
and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me."
What parent has not looked with both love and sadness at their good child who has obeyed all the rules of life but has no compassion or generosity of spirit toward those who are in need?
The young man in today's gospel did not understand that God was pleased by his obedience but saddened by his lack of compassion and charity toward his brothers and sisters who were suffering.
Jesus invited the young man to "come, follow me" to the life of joy and happiness that comes from giving one's all, so that others may come to know the love of God.
"At that statement, his face fell,
and he went away sad, for he had many possessions."
The things of this life like money, property, title, power, and prestige, deceive us into believing that they are the source of our happiness. But, if that were true, why is it that the man "went away sad, for he had many possessions."
In our heart, we know the truth: our possessions cannot guarantee happiness; only a false sense of security.
For in reality, "that which we possess, possesses us."
"Jesus looked around and said to his disciples,
"How hard it is for those who have wealth
to enter the Kingdom of God!"
The disciples were amazed at his words.
So Jesus again said to them in reply,
"Children, how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God!
It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God."
They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, "Then who can be saved?"
The disciples were "astonished" because they believed that wealth was a sign of God's favor and poverty was a sign of God's displeasure. They did not understand that what pleases God is not what we have accumulated for ourselves but what we give away.
Jesus looked at them and said,
"For men it is impossible, but not for God.
All things are possible for God."
God's desire is to have each of His children return to Him after living a life of happiness and fulfillment that helps to bring about His Kingdom on earth.
Man cannot accomplish this on his own. It is only possible with the help of God, who has the ability to turn all things for good.
We are only asked to do our best. God will do the rest.
"Not for ourselves alone are we born." Marcus Tullius Cicero