A quick note: I am writing this reflection (instead of a video) because I am trying to preserve my throat for this week’s interview. I’m fighting a sore throat and need to be better by tomorrow.
Today’s gospel comes from Matthew 19:16-22. It’s often call the The Rich Young Ruler. He can to Jesus confident, yet knowing he needed more. “What must I do to gain eternal life?” He asked Jesus. This is a great question. In fact, it’s the greatest question. Jesus responds by taking him to something familiar to him (and those listening)- the law. Jesus reminded him of the commandments. This man claimed to have kept them all, but still lacked one thing- this one thing was his attachment to his possessions. Jesus invited him into discipleship, but only if he was willing to part with his wealth and follow. Sadly, he wasn’t.
Here’s my takeaway: Jesus is not impressed by our rule keeping. He’s impressed by our faith. This faith expresses itself in different ways for different people. But in the end, the choice is to sacrifice whatever is most important to us, so that we can make Jesus most important. It sounds easy but it certainly isn’t. Ultimately, keeping the rules is about us. We can do it if we try hard enough, but to let go of the things we cherish most of all, and that give us our identity take a different kind of faith. This is what Jesus is after. This is what it means to be perfect. We need his grace to do it. The Blessed Virgin Mary alone shows us what this looks like. She was able to let go of everything in order to follow Jesus.
If you asked Jesus “what do I still lack?” What would he say to you?”
When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,
and to offer the sacrifice of
a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,
in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.
He came in the Spirit into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus
to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,
he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:
“Now, Master, you may let your servant go
in peace, according to your word,
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you prepared in ...
Mark 3:7-12
Jesus withdrew toward the sea with his disciples.
A large number of people followed from Galilee and from Judea.
Hearing what he was doing,
a large number of people came to him also from Jerusalem,
from Idumea, from beyond the Jordan,
and from the neighborhood of Tyre and Sidon.
He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd,
so that they would not crush him.
He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases
were pressing upon him to touch him.
And whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him
and shout, “You are the Son of God.”
He warned them sternly not to make him known.
It happened that there was a man full of leprosy in one of the towns where Jesus was;
and when he saw Jesus,
he fell prostrate, pleaded with him, and said,
“Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.”
Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said,
“I do will it. Be made clean.”
And the leprosy left him immediately.
Then he ordered him not to tell anyone, but
“Go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing
what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.”
The report about him spread all the more,
and great crowds assembled to listen to him
and to be cured of their ailments,
but he would withdraw to deserted places to pray. Luke 5:12-16
