As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up,
knelt down before him, and asked him,
“Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus answered him, “Why do you call me good?
No one is good but God alone.
You know the commandments: You shall not kill;
you shall not commit adultery;
you shall not steal;
you shall not bear false witness;
you shall not defraud;
honor your father and your mother.”
He replied and said to him,
“Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.”
Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him,
“You are lacking in one thing.
Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor
and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”
At that statement, his face fell,
and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
Jesus looked around and said 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.
So Jesus again said to them in reply,
“Children, how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God!
It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.”
They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves,
“Then who can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said,
“For men it is impossible, but not for God.
All things are possible for God.” MK 10:17-27
The young man represents all of us searching for God. Jesus tells him to keep the commandments (this is a struggle each day). The young man has done this. Then, Jesus, looking at him, loved him. This is how Jesus looks at each and every one of us. Fr. Mike Schmitz says, “We are Jesus’s the one”. Jesus came to save us for love of us and the Father. He wants nothing more than to bring us back to the Father. What was the young man lacking? He was attached to the things of this world. First, we much empty ourselves and fill ourselves up with Christ. He allows us to do this with prayer and the Eucharist. Second, we must be humble. We must become poor in Spirit. We are dirt and we shall return to dirt. The important thing is we have an eternal soul. This is where God can make the impossible possible. We must die to self and allow ourselves to be God’s instruments. We are made for this. Pope Benedict XVI said, “We are not made for comfort, we are made for greatness”. St. Peter in the first reading reminds us that we will have many trials and sufferings on this journey, but the rewards are eternal!
Today’s challenge: Die to self, detach yourself from any worldly good that controls you, follow the commandments, allow Jesus to transform you
Be a servant, become a saint!
Christian YOLO
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