11 Oct 2009
Making choices
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As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?†Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’†He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.†Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.†When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.
Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!†And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.†They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?†Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.â€
Peter began to say to him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.†Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal
Scripture passage from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright 1989, 1993, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
09 October 2009 @ 3:04 am
Thank you Laura for focussing on salvation as God’s gift that comes when we trust God enough to place our entire reliance on God’s promise to give us what we need. This is an idea I will use next Sunday in preaching to the Missionaries of Charity. I look forward to seeing you in Detroit in a few weeks.
Jim Motl, O.P.
11 October 2009 @ 2:27 pm
Thanks for readindg Wisdom 7:7-11. I’m getting prepared to Lector at the noon Mass and it was good to hear your proclamation.
Also, thanks for your interpretation of “possessions” in the Gospel. This is the first time that I ever thought of giving up one’s “identity,” as a possession. One may have little in terms of wealth, so it would not be that difficult to leave. But to leave “who you are”, is impossible–without the grace of God.