Word to the Wise
Monday, February 28, 2011 - Monday in the 8th Week in Ordinary Time
[Sir 17:20-24 and Mark 10:17-27]Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, "You are lacking in one thing. God, 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.
The dialogue between this man and Jesus reminds me of the dialogue between Jesus and the lawyer over the great commandments of the law. It begins with a question about the law to which the seeker seems to have his own expectations for a response. The lawyer sought to narrow the range of meaning for "neighbor," and did not get that. He was told the story of the "Good Samaritan." In the gospel passage today, it is clear that the wealthy man did not expect to be told to go and sell his possessions, give the money to the poor. He might have been willing to follow Jesus but not "at a loss." He is also like the famous general, Naaman, who went to see Elijah, and was insulted when Elijah told him to go wash in the Jordan instead of a great river! All of these "seekers" come with their own expectations and hope to strike a deal with God that will allow them to "have their cake and eat it, too."
Although this gospel incident has often been used to promote vocations to religious life, it is meant for any disciple who takes his or her baptismal commitment seriously! The subtle influence of material security on our faith can be surprising when we look at it closely. When I used to give retreats for college students, there was an exercise in which the student had to write down on some slips of paper their five most important possessions, five most important relationships and five most important activities. They were asked to decide in which order they would give them up by crumpling the slip of paper and throwing it into the center of the circle in which they were sitting! By the end of the exercise, all were virtually in tears!
Jesus asks us to take a good long look at what we consider our "security" and see if it has anything to do with our faith! How does it influence the way we follow him? The answers might surprise, or upset, or encourage us but we'll never know unless we ask the same question the man in the gospel did! AMEN
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