Word to the Wise
Tuesday, February 28, 2017 - Tuesday in the 8th Week in Ordinary Time
[Sir 35:1-12 and Mark 10:28-31]Peter began to say to Jesus, "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.....and eternal life in the age to come." [Mark]
Today's gospel passage is a continuation of the scene in yesterday's passage where the young man who asked Jesus what to do to gain eternal life. When Jesus told him to dispose of his many possessions and come and follow him (Jesus), the young man went away sad, but the disciples were astonished when Jesus spoke of material possessions as an obstacle to the kingdom of heaven. Nevertheless, Peter wants to know what is going to happen to him and all the other disciples. (We might remember Sunday's gospel scripture from Matthew about not worrying about what we are to wear or eat or where we will stay.) Jesus responds that everything the disciples give up will come to them in abundance if they simply give them up first to follow him. Scripture scholars point out that impoverishment is not the point here. We know from the Acts of the Apostles that the community shared its goods and every effort was made to provide for the most vulnerable members.
My own experience has shown me that Jesus' promise is true. When I left law school at the end of the first year to enter the novitiate of the Dominicans I put myself in the hands of the order and trusted that I would have what I need. It did not occur to me at the time that I would eventually be permitted to return to law school! I may have given up marriage and children of my own, but the friends the Lord has given to me have more than compensated for that. My physical needs have been met without any problem. Whatever I have earned from my ministry is given to the community and I, in turn, share in the resources of the community. I know and admire married couples who practice the virtue and reality of "poverty" for the sake of the kingdom when they could be making a great deal more money.
The story of the young man and then Peter's question goes to the core of what true security means. Where do we put our trust? We can ask the question another way, "Do I really need such and such, or do I just want it? Does it help me be a better Christian? AMEN
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