"The Rich Man": A Reflection on the Gospel for October 14th, 2018: Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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​Mark 10:17-30 

And 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?" And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You 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.'"And he said to him, "Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth." And 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." At that saying his countenance fell, and he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions. And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it will be for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!" And the disciples were amazed at his 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 a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, "Then who can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God." Peter began to say to him, "Lo, we have left everything and followed you." Jesus 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, who 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."

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“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

When reading about the young man who approached Jesus to ask what he must do to inherit eternal life, I was impressed that one so young was so touched by Jesus’ teachings that he obeyed the commandments and wanted to follow Him. It is disappointing to note that what he was interested in after all was accomplishing something, and not really leading a life in Christ. When told to give up his earthly possessions, sell them and give the proceeds to the poor, he sadly went away.

Our world has taught us that success is measured by the amount of things we possess. The blessings of modern life have afforded us a life made comfortable by the latest inventions. We now cannot live without our smartphones, for example, which allow us to keep abreast of events as they happen. Some of us need them in the jobs that we do, but do we need the latest and the most expensive gadgets? Do we need to have many of them? This also applies to cars, clothes and other material possessions. We have forgotten that the purpose in having these things is really as a means to an end. We are meant to live simply so that our attention will continue to be focussed on our God, Jesus our Lord, and the way of life that He has taught us. Once our attention shifts to a need to have things—to wanting more than the basics—once we set our eyes to always have the best and the newest, then the path to the kingdom of God becomes too small for our ‘bigness’ to enter into. Jesus says we need God’s guidance to be able to do this.

We also have to remember that in spite of the busyness and the business of our everyday lives, our love for one another must prevail. No matter how accomplished we may be, we must love our neighbour. This is why Jesus tells the young man to sell his possessions, give the proceeds to the poor, and follow Him. The emphasis here is that possessions are not important, love is.

There is an old song that comes to mind when I read this passage:

    The moon belongs to everyone, the best things in life are free
    The stars belong to everyone, they gleam for you and me…
    And love can come to everyone
   The best things in life are free.

Let Us Pray:
Dear Jesus, help us to keep our focus on you. Allow us to simplify our lives so that we may not be distracted from hearing you, and being guided by You. May we see You everyday in the work that we do, and in the people that we meet. We thank you, Lord Jesus. Amen.

Liz Venezuela

"We... have to remember that in spite of the busyness and the business of our everyday lives, our love for one another must prevail."
​- Liz Venezuela (Ora Reflections)

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