All Things Are Possible For God

Today’s gospel invites us to reevaluate. The first thing we learn is that we can do no good apart from God. The young man asks Jesus, “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?” You see that’s just it….eternal life is based on God’s goodness not on our own. It’s not that we aren’t good (because God made us good) but entering heaven is a result of God’s mercy and the sacrificial love of His Son. What we can do is follow Christ and learn what that kind of love looks like, acts like, and is like so that when we meet God face to face we will know how to choose. The devil is pretty efficient at acting super shiny and attractive because he knows that humans have a weakness for those kinds of things. He entices us with things that look and feel good, or that sound and taste good, but like junk food, they do not satisfy and slowly we become malnourished. We become addicted to unsatisfying things that constantly swoon us toward the next latest and greatest. This is how Lucifer (which means “shiny one”) works. 

The next thing Jesus teaches us is that if we “wish to enter into life” we must keep the commandments. The young man asks  “Which ones?” because there were 613 laws in the Jewish faith and to follow ALL of them might have been a little overwhelming. Jesus highlights the ones that bring us closest to God and neighbor. The young man probably sighed a big “whew” of relief because he was already observing these. I love this kid’s persistence and thoroughness because I think he really wanted to go to heaven and he was looking for some sort of magic formula to guarantee that he would get there. I feel like I do the same thing sometimes. Just give me a checklist with bullet point guarantees that I can present to God when I die. They will all be checked off perhaps with dates and times that they were accomplished, and most likely with side notes explaining the awesomeness of, well, me! Then I’ll get a permanent glow in the dark hand stamp and I will be an official resident of heaven!! Sounds good to me. Raise your hand if you can relate to this.

I picture the young man scratching his head saying, “All of these I observe. What do I still lack?” This is a great question. This is a great prayer. Imagine if at the end of every day we asked God, “What do I still lack?” Jesus comes back with, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” I know the word perfect is intimidating and that only God is perfect, however, Jesus is really referring to spiritual maturity here. The word mature means: “completed, perfected, or elaborated in full by the mind; ripe, as fruit, or fully aged, as cheese or wine; fully developed in body or mind, as a person.” The man in the story is young, not fully aged or complete, and neither are we in our spiritual lives. First, we must desire spiritual maturity/growth or holiness, then we must “Go, sell what we have and give to the poor.” Love is a verb, it’s active, it’s alive, and it goes out. Jesus is clear…we must detach from stuff and share our wealth with others. Everything is a gift to us from God and when we share our gifts with one another, we are growing, ripening, and becoming fully aged souls. 

This line really stirred my heart, “When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.” It is such an open-ended conclusion. Of course, we want to assume that his sadness over his possessions meant that he did not heed Christ’s words and follow him, but we really don’t know that for sure. Following Christ requires sacrifice and sometimes we will get sad over the things that we must give up, but Jesus promises us treasure in heaven, so while we will be sad over our earthly losses, when we fix our hearts on the rewards waiting for us in heaven, we can “enter into life” with the Truth the gospel gives us today: Come to Jesus in prayer, listen to His voice, practice obedience to the Father’s love, ask God what it is that I still lack, desire holiness, detach from the world, go out and love the poor, keep my eyes on heaven, and follow Jesus. The fact of the matter is that a relationship with God is the only answer, “for humans it is impossible, not for God. All things are possible for God.” Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life into that relationship, so follow Him. It is well with my soul. 

Reading 1 SIR 17:20-24

To the penitent God provides a way back,
he encourages those who are losing hope
and has chosen for them the lot of truth.
Return to him and give up sin,
pray to the LORD and make your offenses few.
Turn again to the Most High and away from your sin,
hate intensely what he loathes,
and know the justice and judgments of God,
Stand firm in the way set before you,
in prayer to the Most High God.

Who in the nether world can glorify the Most High
in place of the living who offer their praise?
Dwell no longer in the error of the ungodly,
but offer your praise before death.
No more can the dead give praise
than those who have never lived;
You who are alive and well
shall praise and glorify God in his mercies.
How great the mercy of the LORD,
his forgiveness of those who return to him!

Responsorial Psalm PS 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7

R. (11a)  Let the just exult and rejoice in the Lord.
Blessed is he whose fault is taken away,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed the man to whom the LORD imputes not guilt,
in whose spirit there is no guile.
R. Let the just exult and rejoice in the Lord.
Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
my guilt I covered not.
I said, "I confess my faults to the LORD,"
and you took away the guilt of my sin.
R. Let the just exult and rejoice in the Lord.
For this shall every faithful man pray to you
in time of stress.
Though deep waters overflow,
they shall not reach him.
R. Let the just exult and rejoice in the Lord.
You are my shelter; from distress you will preserve me;
with glad cries of freedom you will ring me round.
R. Let the just exult and rejoice in the Lord.

Alleluia 2 COR 8:9

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus Christ became poor although he was rich,
so that by his poverty you might become rich.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel MK 10:17-27

As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up,
knelt down before him, and asked him,
"Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good?
No one is good but God alone.
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.

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples,
"How hard it is for those who have wealth
to enter the Kingdom of God!"
The disciples were amazed at his words.
So Jesus again said to them in reply,
"Children, how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God!
It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle.
than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.”
They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves,
“Then who can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said,
“For men it is impossible, but not for God.
All things are possible for God.”