father and mother.” The man replied, “I have obeyed all these commandments since my childhood.” Then Jesus looked
steadily at him and loved him; and he said, “For you, one thing is lacking. Go, sell what you have, and give the money
to the poor; and you will have riches in heaven. Then, come, and follow me.” On hearing these words, his face fell and
he went away sorrowful, for he was a man of great wealth. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it
is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” The disciples were shocked at these words, but Jesus
insisted, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of the
needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” They were more astonished than ever and wondered, “Who,
then, can be saved?” Jesus looked steadily at them and said, “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God; all things
are possible with God.”
Reflection:
“What must I do to inherit eternal life?” The very question
was wrong—for it was built on a faulty assumption that we must
“do” something to inherit eternal life. You do not “do” anything
to get your inheritance; you just need to “be.” I inherit my
parental property not because of anything I do, but because of
who I “am.” When you become truly conscious of who you “are”
and grow into that self, behavior proper to such a self will simply
flow from you. In other words, “doing” will follow your “being”
as a consequence, not vice versa. St. Peter refers to this inheritance
in the first reading, telling us that this “inheritance that does
not corrupt, nor goes bad, nor passes away, is reserved for you
in heaven.” Had the young man been truly conscious of this,
the invitation of Jesus would have thrilled his heart: to leave
everything behind and walk beside Jesus, the true spouse of
his soul, his eternal possession.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2022