Twenty Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings: Wisdom 7:7-11; Hebrews 4:12-13; Mark 10:17-30
What must I do to inherit eternal life?
The question of this follower of Jesus, to attain perfection in life, seems very sincere and true. He has lived a genuine life, followed all the laws laid down in the Torah, and wants to do something more to become a complete human being and wants to inherit the eternal life. It is interesting to note how the word ‘inherit’ is being used. The inheritance is always from someone, who has something, to someone who deserves to inherit; for example the property of parents to their children, from the king/queen to his/her son or daughter, and so on. It seems that this follower of Jesus has the similar understanding of the inheritance of the eternal life and wants to possess it. But Jesus has a different understanding of this inheritance. This inheritance is not a possession that one gets on top of what one already has, but one has to let go of something to inherit the eternal life. So he puts a clear and strong demand, that is, “Go and sell everything you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” This demand from Jesus seemed quite challenging to this follower of Jesus and he went away sad. He was not ready to give away his own inheritance before accepting the inheritance of eternal life, he was not ready to let go off his possessions, which in his understanding, were the blessings of God, and above all he was not ready to give up the security he had found by owning this treasure, richness. The call of Jesus to this follower and to all of us is clear and direct - let go off the safety of the earthly possessions to inherit the eternal reward. It does not mean that we need to live on rags and be hungry, rather be able to share what we have and understand the pain and suffering of the poor. The first reading of the day complements this thought by comparing wealth and richness to the gift of Wisdom. As human beings we need to strive to exercise the power of Wisdom given to us by God and through this insight be able to make use of our possessions. Our goal should not be to accumulate wealth, rather make use of the wealth that we have and learn to share. Sharing is not giving alms, but giving away a significant portion of our wealth, time and talents to make a difference in one’s life. Almsgiving is easy, but sharing is difficult. Almsgiving is one off, sharing is lifelong. Almsgiving does not make a big difference in our life as we always remain higher than the receiver, but sharing does, for we become equal to the person we are sharing with. The idea of giving up makes us realise how much we depend on God; when we let go of our possessions and the false security that comes with it, we become totally dependent on God and through this we will be able to inherit the eternal life. But the journey of that inheritance begins here and now, not just in the next life. So dear friends let us pledge our life today to the security of God and begin to depend on God who is our source and strength.