October 10, Sunday

 Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

What Do You Lack?

Today the word of God challenges us: in what do you put your heart? Where is your security? What makes your life valuable and worthwhile? Here comes the advice of God’s word and wisdom as early as the Old Testament and here comes Jesus’ warning: Do not put your heart in possessions for they will become your masters. Let God be your Lord. Let it be Jesus whom we follow.

 

First Reading: Wisdom 7:7-11

For this very reason I prayed, trying to make sense of it all. I cried out for Wisdom, and she responded to my call. When she came to sit, I preferred her lap to the laps of other royals. I compared Wealth with Wisdom, and Wisdom was the clear winner. I could have compared her with the finest jewels, but why would I? Gold dust is no more precious than yellow sand; the same could be said of silver. Health and Beauty take a back seat to Wisdom. She sheds more light than the sun; they merely reflect and refract.

        As if the wonderfulness of Wisdom weren’t enough, she didn’t come empty-handed; she brought gifts for everybody; each one wore her label or bore her mark.

How was I to know she had her own boutique? I’m  not going to hide  the fact that I enjoyed her gifts immensely; I won’t hesitate to recommend them to others.

 

Second Reading: Hebrews 4:12-13

God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God’s Word. We can’t get away from it—no matter what.

 

Gospel: Mark 10:17-30

As he went out into the street, a man came running up, greeted him with great reverence, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to get eternal life?”

Jesus said, “Why are you calling me good? No one is good, only God. You know the commandments: Don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t cheat, honour your father and mother.”

 He said, “Teacher, I have—from my youth—kept them all!”

 Jesus looked him hard in the eye—and loved him! He said, “There’s one thing left: Go sell whatever you own and give it to the poor. All your wealth will then be heavenly wealth. And come follow me.”

 The man’s face clouded over. This was the last thing he expected to hear, and he walked off with a heavy heart. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and not about to let go.

Looking at his disciples, Jesus said, “Do you have any idea how difficult it is for people who ‘have it all’ to enter God’s kingdom?” The disciples couldn’t believe what they were hearing, but Jesus kept on: “You can’t imagine how difficult. I’d say it’s easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for the rich to get into God’s kingdom.”

That set the disciples back on their heels. “Then who has any chance at all?” they asked.

 Jesus was blunt: “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you let God do it.”

Peter tried another angle: “We left everything and followed you.”

Jesus said, “Mark my words, no one who sacrifices house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, land—whatever—because of me and the Message will lose out. They’ll get it all back, but multiplied many times in homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and land—but also in troubles. And then the bonus of eternal life! This is once again the Great Reversal: Many who are first will end up last, and the last first.”

 

Prayer
Lord our God,
your living word upsets us.
You give the first place in your kingdom
to the last and the least in our judgment:
you call the poor rich and blessed
and ask the rich to become poor.
Give us, we pray you, the wisdom
of living for the things that matter
and following your Son on the road
to you and to our neighbor,
that we may become secure in your hand.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

 

Reflection:

The path to true happiness

Mark says the man who approached Jesus was rich and Mathew presented him as young. So we have combined both adjectives to describe him as young and rich.

Mark narrates the way he approaches Jesus: He comes running and kneels before Jesus. The Gospel had presented two other characters, who also behave like this man. One was the demoniac, who was possessed with an evil spirit. The other was the leper, who felt impure and punished by God. This young and rich man behaves as if he is possessed and that makes him feel impure like a leper.

He is indeed possessed by the most dangerous of demons: the demon that forces him to cling to the goods of this world. It is the devil that makes you attach your heart to the riches of the world. This demon of material riches and possessions dehumanizes you.

But who doesn’t love to be rich and enjoy the comforts of life? In Chinese culture, riches are regarded as the good fortune. On Chinese New Year, people wish one another “Gung-hei Faat-choi” – which means “wish you plenty of wealth and riches.”

But, the greed of riches will make you lose the meaning of life. This man runs up to Jesus for something that only Jesus could give: peace of mind and harmony in his life. Jesus proposes him a new approach to his life. He says: ‘You must share your assets. They are not yours, they belong to God and you must share them with those who need them.’ Give up, abandon, part with – are the words we must pay attention to. The rich young man moves away sad.

Jesus is clear: One does not enter into the new world that he proposes unless one accepts the logic of sharing the goods with all; goods of this world must be transformed into love. Jesus wants to bring to our attention the danger of wealth because wealth possesses the strength of a seductive god.

“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle….” It cannot happen, even if it tries. But then comes the promise: “For people it is impossible, but not for God; because for God everything is possible.” When we allow the proposal of Jesus to penetrate our hearts, the human nature is restored in our life; and the demon of material possessions and riches is driven out of lives. Once that leprosy of selfishness is healed from our body, we become joyful to make ourself available to our brothers and sisters.

 

 Video available on Youtube : The path to true happiness