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 human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God."
Peter began to say to him, "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: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come."
REFLECTION
"How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!"
What material thing am I still hanging on to that I won't let go?
My smartphone? my family? air conditioner? social or professional status?
I honor the day of the Lord, don't kill, don't bear false witness, and honor my father and mother, and yet, there are many injustices and inequalities in the world that I could fight against and make a difference. However, a great impediment, at least for me, is the attachment to comfort and luxury.
..."Just one more blouse to go perfectly with this blazer... One pair of shoes to match this outfit..."
And my closet keeps filling up with things I may or not have a chance to wear.
As a society we are really obsessed with showing off with "brand clothing" and "expensive cars". Sad to say those products are targeted to lower to middle classes to spend more money. The real rich consume "quiet luxury" brands that have no brand logos or other flashy icons.
I know that if I try to overcome this on my own, I will fail. Targeted advertisement has been perfected to make sure we are allured by all the things we don't really need.
So I turn to the example of the Holy Family. Would Mary neglect her appearance? I am sure she didn't, but it doesn't mean she would spend the whole day worrying about her appearance. She'd make sure she would take care of her family, and of those in need in her community. Would St. Joseph obtain flashy things to impress his neighbors? Get into debt to show off status? No. He worked hard, and made sure to follow the precepts of his people and taught them to Jesus.
We have to work hard against the impulses of wanting wealth and notoriety. We need to pray to Jesus, Mary, and Joseph for the gift of humility so we don't want what we don't need, and the gift of generosity to properly administer and distribute the material gifts God has granted to us to manage during this life.
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