First reading: Wisdom 7:7-11
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 90
Second reading: Hebrews 4:12-13
Gospel reading: Mark 10:17-30
"There is one thing more you must do."
Still on the 10th chapter in the gospel of Mark, we are presented
with a passage about the story of the "rich young man". This man
came to Jesus and asked: "what must I do to share in everlasting
life?" When Jesus told the young man to obey the commandments,
the young man replied by saying that he has observed these since
his childhood. Then Jesus said, "there is one thing more you must
do. Go and sell what you have and give to the poor; you will then
have treasure in heaven. After that, come and follow Me." The
young man became sad, for he had many possessions.
Jesus and His apostles lived a very radical state of life: that
of poor itinerant missionaries, fully trusting in the Father's
providence. The gospels do not mention any "home" from which they
returned to after their missionary journeys. What the gospels
mention is that they dined and stayed in some houses: like that
of Simon the Pharisee; the house of Peter's mother-in-law; the
house of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus; and various other homes where
Jesus was requested to heal a sick member of the family. In their
missions, Jesus instructed His apostles and disciples to travel
light: "no food, no traveling bag, not a coin in the purse of
their belts...no second tunic (Mark 6:8-13)." The rich young man
probably had heard of how Jesus and His apostles lived as poor,
itinerant missionaries and therefore in practical terms, cannot
really "do that one more thing" required by Jesus.
This radical state of life Jesus lived is what our clergy and the
religious live - committing themselves totally to the service of
God in the Church. For many of us who chose the lay state of
life, we have to balance ourselves so that our spiritual life may
put in order the secular concerns of family and work. Some may
have the opportunity to "do that extra step" Jesus is asking, by
volunteering for the missions for a temporary period of time
(like one to two years). But the majority of us lay people have
to busy ourselves with building a family and a home. For this lay
state of life, one way to "do that one more thing", is to learn
how to have a holy indifference and a sense of detachment to
earthly things (as taught by St. Ignatius of Loyola): preferring
neither honor to dishonour, a long life to a short life, riches
to poverty, nor health to sickness. The context for this holy
indifference and detachment to earthly things is our grounding
in God - to serve and love Him above all. This is not an easy
step to take, but it is possible.
Let us thus take this opportunity to ask ourselves as we reflect
more deeply on the gospel: "Is my attachment to possessions
greater than my attachment to Jesus?" "What must I do so that my
attachment to Christ can help me have a holy indifference and a
sense of detachment to earthly things?"
