Word to the Wise
Monday, May 26, 2008 - St. Philip Neri, priest
[1 Peter 1:3-9 and Mark 10:17-27]"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.
Although this incident is often used as a basis for urging men and women to consider a vocation to full time ministry as a priest, sister, nun, or brother, those vocations did not exist in Jesus' time! The man who comes to Jesus has "followed all the rules" and yet still feels that this is not enough. He is right but he is also surprised by Jesus' answer. Jesus picks on the one weakness the man has. The man did not expect that he would have to let go of the possessions that stood in the way of "inheriting eternal life." In this particular case, the issue is not "possessions" per se, but THIS man's possessions. The possessions of this man were like a resume of his accomplishments. But those achievements or possessions would not be the determining factor in his salvation. In fact they seemed, in Jesus' view, to be the one thing that stood in the way. He had followed all the rules and had become wealthy, was there anything IN ADDITION to do? Jesus responds that there is something he needed to do IN SUBTRACTION. This story is a challenge to us to take a look around in our own lives. Do we see our faith and life as simply "following the rules?" Where does the relationship to the Lord come into the picture or what may be keeping that relationship out of the picture? As with the man in the story, the answer may come as a difficult surprise, but it will be within our capacity to do! AMEN
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