Word to the Wise
Monday, May 24, 2010 - The Translation of Holy Father Dominic
[1 Peter 1:3-9 and Mark 10:17-27]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.
During World War II, when the Allies were bombing cities in Italy, the remains of St. Dominic, which are usually kept in Bologna, Italy, were removed to a safer location. When they were returned [translated], the day was established as a feast for the Dominican Order. Even in death, St. Dominic was itinerant! One of his successors, Timothy Radcliffe, OP, would say that St. Dominic was "stupefyingly free!" This was the problem that Jesus saw in the young man. Although the man had lived a good life, he was actually tied down by what he owned and kept from being a truly free person to follow the Lord in the way he was seeking. Jesus loved him, but saw the problem and identified it. We can only hope that after going away sad, he reconsidered. The disciples who witnessed this encounter experienced something we all go through when giving our lives an assessment. How can something one considers a blessing turn out to be an obstacle to following Jesus? Wealth and possessions were then, as now, considered blessings and Jesus identifies them as obstacles! It takes wisdom to go through this kind of discernment. We may be mistaken in our thoughts because it is altogether easy to identify things we don't like as obstacles, and things that we like as blessings! However, if we ask the Lord to answer the question that this young man asked, we had better be ready for suprises! AMEN
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