SCRIPTURE FOR EVERYDAY LIFE
Twenty-Eighth
Sunday in Ordinary Time FIRST READING: Wisdom 7:7-11
Typical of the writing in the Book of Wisdom, today's first reading is quite practical in its approach to living a life that
is pleasing to God. In wisdom God created the world and in wisdom he governs it. In today's reading from this
book, the author says that he received the gift of wisdom from God, a gift of greater value than all the riches this earth
holds. Health, wealth, beauty, power, etc., cannot be compared to the gift of wisdom. Wisdom brings along with
it other gifts.
Worldly wisdom and God's wisdom often clash. God's wisdom is preferred
by the author over worldly wisdom and worldly values. Even though the speaker of today's first reading is willing to
give up all worldly treasures in pursuit of God's wisdom, he loses nothing! He realized "...all good things came
to me in her company and countless riches at her hands..." This does not mean that we cannot enjoy the pleasure
and happiness of a good family, a nice house, a rewarding job, and good friends. However, we are not to become so absorbed
in pursuit of these things, or of wealth and power, that we let them come between us and God.
It
is a question of priority. Recently, the mother of a 7-year old inquired about after-school religious education classes
for her child that would prepare the child for the reception of First Eucharist; she asked what days and time these classes
were offered. When given this information, she shrugged and stated that her daughter had language classes and sports
that interfered with this schedule and declined to sign her up. Sadly, in this case, worldly wisdom was chosen over
God's wisdom. We are only given a relatively short time here on earth. God asks us to use this time wisely in
pursuit of our eternal reward and not to waste the precious time we have been given. SECOND READING:
Hebrews 4:12-13
Two verses is all we hear in today's second reading. Nothing we do can
be hidden from God. If we aspire to enter the eternal kingdom of God, then we must live, act, and behave as followers
of Christ. The word of God must be active in our lives; it must live within us and produce good works. The word
of God penetrates our innermost self, into the hidden recesses of the heart. We can shield things from our fellowman,
but not from God who is all-knowing. Our every thought, word or action is laid bare before our all-wise Creator.
It is good to examine one's everyday actions; i.e. are we quick to judge others?; how do we treat
our family members, our co-workers or strangers? Do we indulge in unnecessary purchases for ourselves, while neglecting
the needy in our society? The Word of God is alive, and it challenges us as we apply its teaching to our everyday life. GOSPEL: Mark 10:17-30
Today we see a man who possesses all the material things in life
a person could want; he wants for nothing. When the man approached Jesus, he was sincere in his inquiry. He asked
Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus saw his need. In this passage we read that "Jesus loved
him." Along with his answer, Jesus invites the man to become a disciple. "Go, sell, what you have and
give to the poor...then, come, follow me." Despite his deep spiritual hunger, the man could not bring himself to
give away his riches, "...and he went away sad, for he had many possessions."
The
lesson from today's reading, as Jesus expressed in today's passage, is: How hard it is for a wealthy person, who is attached
to his worldly treasures, to enter into a true relationship with Jesus that will lead to eternal life in the kingdom of God.
There is conflict between love of the riches of this world and love of God. It is the age-old question of serving God
or mammon (possessions). It is difficult, but not impossible for the wealthy to serve God. St. Louis of
France and St. Elizabeth of Hungary were members of royalty; they lived in castles and had riches. But to them, their
riches counted for nothing, for their treasure was in living for the reign of God. It is our attitude towards our possessions
on which we will be judged.
The man in this story was a good man, for he kept all the commandments
and he wanted eternal life. However, the price he was commanded to pay was too steep, and "he went away sad."
Again, this teaching does not mean that we musn't possess any of the world's goods. We may possess them, but we must
not allow them to have such a hold on us that we have no time to pursue the everlasting kingdom of God's love. We must
not let our possessions "possess us." Often, the more we have, the more we want.
We don't have to possess abundance of riches to fulfill Christ's command to give to the less fortunate. Jesus praised
the poor widow who put a penny into the poor box in the temple, and he tells us that a cup of cool water given in his name
will not go without reward. We do not have to be wealthy to have a charitable heart. Our true purpose in life
is to serve others, and in helping others, we will be serving God.
A homeless woman came to
a local church recently asking for food and toiletries. When she received the bag with toiletries, she thoughtfully
sorted through the items and only took what she needed for the time being: she was given two bars of soap and she returned
one; there were three pocket-sized bottles of hand cream and she returnd two; and she did the same with the remaining items.
In her poverty, she was the richest one of all. She had no difficulty letting go of the things that were not necessary.
When Christ sent his apostles out into the world, he told them to take nothing- to travel light.
In doing this, they would always be ready to help others carry their burdens. Letting go is one of the most challenging
demands in this life, but ultimately the most (eternally) rewarding. -Sunday, October 11, 2009 |
