The Catholic Liturgy for the 28th
Sunday of Ordinary Time, Oct. 14, 2018. Readings: Heb. 4:12-13. Mark 10:17-27.
Theme: Free for Eternal Life.
Today’s Gospel story starts out looking pretty good. We
find ourselves in the presence of a young man who, according to the Jewish way
of looking at life, was doubly blessed! He was wealthy and he was devout. The
man desires a deep everlasting personal relationship with God, which is what
“eternal life” means. This is something we all desire. Each one of us wants to
be happy, truly happy, from the inside out. This desire leads us to seek
wealth, prestige and power in life because we think they are the foundation of
our happiness. But they actually end up frustrating our deep desire, working
against us.
It is not that these things are evil. But due to our fallen
human nature, weakened by the effects of original sin, we tend to seek
happiness in these very things, in the creatures rather than in the Creator.
Wealth and materialism fool us into thinking that we are just fine,
self-sufficient, masters of our own destiny. They can make us feel strong,
secure, unstoppable. That is, until the
stark reality of suffering and mortality slap us in the face!
There aren’t enough riches or pleasures in the whole galaxy
to keep sickness, suffering and death away from us. We all know this to be
true, but we keep on living as if it is not!
We deceive ourselves and often use pleasures to try to drown out that
voice inside of us that keeps on reminding us that we were made for something
greater than money and more precious than any possessions. I think that just might be why God allow
sufferings or struggles to enter into our lives: to wake us up to the reality
of life and motivate us to put our house in order, to prepare for eternity
which can come at any moment.
And so, I think that the rich young man’s dilemma is also
our dilemma. He lived a basically good life and yet
something was lacking, something was holding him back. Jesus was
able to look into his heart see what that “something” was: Jesus said to him: “You are lacking in one
thing…” and that “one thing” was freedom. He was possessed by his possessions. Those he could not give
up. We know that his wealth trapped him
for the Gospel tells us that “He went away sad, for he had many possessions.”
We need courage to come before Jesus in prayer and ask Him
to look at us, to see and tell us what is holding us hostage. Maybe it isn’t
money or possessions. Maybe it is lust or arrogance; maybe it is envy or a hurt
we refuse to forgive. Maybe it’s a wrong
relationship or a destructive behavior that we do not feel strong enough to
break out of. But if we truly thirst for
eternal life, then we need to honestly ask ourselves: what is that one thing
that keeps me from giving myself completely to Christ? What is holding me back?
The description of the Word of God in today’s second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews can help with this personal diagnosis and its cure. It reminds us that Scripture is like a two-edged sword that can perform spiritual surgery and help us to cut out whatever blocks our full following of Jesus. This is why Pope Francis constantly reminds us to read at least a small portion of the Gospels daily. God’s Word has power to penetrate into our hearts, our consciences, and root out whatever does not belong to Christ. Like any medicine, it works over time and must be taken in daily dosages, but if we persevere in undergoing this spiritual treatment we will indeed come to be free.
Jesus had offered the rich young man a pathway to freedom,
but he preferred the comfort of his chains.
He could not let go of the gold in his hand in order to grasp the hand
of his Lord. Let’s not be like that. Let’s drop the gold of whatever hold us
back and take Jesus’ hand and follow Him, so that He lead us through life -
with all its ups and downs - and finally bring us to that awesomely free and
utterly fulfilling life with God that never ends.
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