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 human beings
it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God."Peter
began to say to him, "We have given up everything and followed you."
Jesus said, "Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or
brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and
for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this
present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and
lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come."
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
The story is told about a man who went to a foreign country to work for a company that was offering him a high paying job. The man was already living a comfortable life with his mother and siblings but he wanted to accquire more material wealth.
So, he went abroad amid the protestation of his mother. While he was abroad he lived a promiscuous life which resulted in him getting sick of Covid-19. This is a sad story brought about by the man’s greed for material possessions.
In this Sunday’s gospel there is a man who asked Jesus this question, “Good teacher, what must I do to have eternal life?” Jesus enumerated what he must do and the man said, "All of these I have observed from my youth." But Jesus told 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." With that statement his face fell, and he walked away sad, for he had many possessions.
Eternal life was already within reach for the man in the gospel. And the man in our story was already living a comfortable life. But they both let go of it because they were so enslaved by their greed for material possessions.
Many of us are also enslaved by our greed for material possessions such as money and the like. We greedily want more of it even if we can live with a little of it. We are very much willing to have it even if we barter our souls to the devil. We may not know it but our greed for material wealth is the foundation of our many troubles in this world.
For example many siblings and relatives are not in speaking terms because they cannot agree on how to divide their inherited wealth. Many parents are problematic with their grown up children for the reason that they spoiled them with material wealth but they famished them with parental love and guidance.
It is never too late to let go of our greed for material possession in favor of harmony, peace of mind and love in the family. It is never too late to share our wealth with the poor to have eternal life with God. And it’s never too late to follow God in exchange for all that we have in this world.
When we are already at the doorway of death our material possessions will not be a factor for our salvation. What will become a factor is the response that we gave God when He invited us to follow HIM in exchange for everything that we have in this world.
The gospel invites us to think deeply on how we are presently living our lives in this world: Are we living our lives for this world or we live it for the glory of God? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
No comments:
Post a Comment