17And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 18And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19You know the commandments: `Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'" 20And he said to him, "Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth." 21And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." 22At that saying his countenance fell, and he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions. 23And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it will be for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!" 24And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." 26And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, "Then who can be saved?" 27Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God." 28Peter began to say to him, "Lo, we have left everything and followed you." 29Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.
This reading speaks to me like no other in the gospels. The man feels he is living a decent life and following the commandments. He asks Jesus “what more can I do?” And Jesus essentially says “give up your comfortable life, take up my cross and do I what I have in store for you.” The man hangs his head and walks away. What God has in store for me cuts into every aspect om my life. God has a hand in my role as a husband, a father, a brother, a grandfather, a volunteer, a stranger who encounters others in the course of a day. My energy comes from gratitude… I feel I have received much though life so my prayer is rarely “God I want more”. Rather, it is “thank you for your mercy”… ie thank you for the blessings I have done nothing to deserve. What is confronting about this reading (and the gospel in general) is a fear that it is a call to discomfort, chaos and a faith in God to provide. It is not about finding energy through the order and stability one has arrived at after journeying through life. I am currently at a regional refugee conference. So many people here have been thrown into chaos. Their lives are marred with injustice. They are trying to pick up the pieces and move on only to find barriers placed in their path. My prayer for today: Loving God, guide my feelings of gratitude towards actions that do your will. May my gifts be used to elevate and bring your love to others . Amen.
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