What must I do to inherit eternal life? That’s the
question the man asked Jesus in the Gospel today. Jesus’ responded very directly: Sell all you
have and give to the poor and then follow me.
Did that answer make any of you a little uncomfortable? It did make me
feel a bit uncomfortable. I’ve been
blessed with a nice house, cars, and money saved up for retirement and college for
my son. Is Jesus asking us to give up
all that we have in order to follow him?
The man in the story was very sincere in his
question to Jesus. He diligently
followed the commandments from a young age. Jesus sensed his sincerity and
lovingly invited him to be one of his disciples by giving up all that had. Jesus knew man lacked one thing: making Jesus
the top priority in his life. The man’s possessions
were his highest priority. Jesus wanted
him to be free of them, so he could inherit eternal life. Unfortunately, the man’s possessions were too
important, and he went away sad. His
possessions, possessed him.
Do we need to take Jesus words literally? Do we need to sell all we have and give to
the poor? Some of us may be called to
that, but for most, we have to consider the responsibilities we for our
families. We need to earn a living and
own some things for our families well-being and also dedicate some resources to
help the poor. Some of us may own
businesses and need resources to provide goods, services, and employment that
helps others. If we’ve been blessed with abundant resources it’s ok, as long as
have the wisdom to put some of them to good use to help others. So having possessions can be a good thing, as
long as they don’t possess us. But we need to ask: are there things in our
lives that possess us that keep us from following Jesus?
Our possessions can make it very hard to enter the
kingdom of God if they’re first priority in our life. We can become too reliant on our own
resources and feel like we don’t need to depend on God. If we’re always trying to keep up with
Joneses: getting a bigger house, buying a new car, or wearing the latest
fashions and we can lose focus on what’s most important: our relationship with
God. Our “possessions” can become our “god” and we can be possessed by them.
Jesus tells us that it’s hard to enter the kingdom
of God for those who have wealth. How
hard is it? It would easier for a camel to enter through the eye of a needle
than for a rich person to enter God’s kingdom.
Wow. This that sounds impossible
to do. I guess none of us will make it
into God’s kingdom if we have to rely on our own capabilities. But Jesus tells us that, “with God all
things are possible”. He’s telling us
that if we put God first in our life, IT WILL be possible to enter God’s
kingdom.
The only way we will be able to do this is through God’s
grace. There’s not anything we can do on
our own to inherit eternal life. It’s a
gift that only God can give. We can
accept this gift, but we can also reject it. By having a relationship with
Jesus and it will open us up to the gift of God’s grace.
One way to follow Jesus is to simplify our
lives. We have too many distractions in our
busy lives. We have a model to follow in living a simpler life and putting God
first through our patron St. Francis. St.
Francis lived a life of wealth and luxury in his younger days, but was called
to authentically live out the Gospel, by giving up all he had to follow Jesus. He publicly gave up all of his wealth,
family, and even his clothing to show his reliance on God. This allowed him to
focus on living out the Gospel, in prayer, worship, and seeing God in his brothers
and sisters that he served. Eight centuries later his way of life in living the
Gospel continues through thousands of Franciscan religious and laypersons following
his simple way of life.
If we give up what possesses us and follow Jesus
what will we get? We will receive a
hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brother and sisters and
mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age
to come. How so? Through our brothers
and sisters in Christ, which is all of you here. Through all the churches, schools,
hospitals, and charitable ministries throughout the world spreading God’s love.
Jesus added that persecutions are to be expected as
well. We see this in our culture today. In living as a Christians, we may be being mocked
for our beliefs at work or school. For some it could be more serious, such as
the many refugees leaving their homes in the Middle East. But through these trials we need to remember that
we’ll receive eternal life in the age to come.
So as we continue, think about what’s possessing you
from making Jesus first in your life. Are there things, activities, or habits that
come before our relationship with Christ?
If so, why not make a commitment to change. Don’t walk away sad like the man in the
Gospel. Pray for God’s grace to help. Reach
out to your brothers and sisters in Christ and ask them for support. If Christ is first in your life, help others
to do the same. As we
continue the Mass lets offer thanks to God for grace we receive through the Eucharist
to help put Christ first in our life.
