Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
A man approaches Jesus and asks Him what he must do to inherit eternal life. When Jesus implies that the man should adhere to the Commandments, the man affirms that he has done that since his youth.
Then the Lord challenges the man to sell all he has, give the money to the poor, and then come and follow Him. The man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
Then Jesus laments 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. Many in our community might also be amazed at Jesus’ words, because most people in Johnson County, like the man in the Gospel, also have many possessions.
But is Jesus implying that we must all sell everything we have and live in abject poverty? Maybe. At least maybe for that man. Maybe the Lord was calling him to subordinate everything else in his life and join Jesus’ inner circle of disciples. Even today, some hear the Lord’s call to evangelical poverty and become friars, monks, or religious sisters.
But most people don’t believe they’ve been called to consecrated religious life, but rather to marriage or some other vocation that does not demand a vow of poverty. Yet, Jesus warns that a love of money, a love of possessions, can indeed be a stumbling block to surrendering to God’s will and living as a disciple.
Our modern lifestyles, often influenced more by secular values than by religious ones, lures us to collect possession, to constantly be doing something, even if rather mindless, like surfing the web or scrolling through Facebook or YouTube. It entices us to put inordinate value on our homes, cars, clothes, job titles, bank accounts and all things external to our souls.
Today’s Gospel invites us to slow down, step back and reflect on what’s most important in life; what most will aid us in attaining everlasting life, and to value that above all else.
Sincerely yours in Christ Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life,
