20211010 INHERITING THE KINGDOM OF GOD
10 October, 2021, Sunday, 28th Week, Ordinary Time
First reading | Wisdom 7:7-11 © |
I esteemed Wisdom more than sceptres or thrones
I prayed, and understanding was given me;
I entreated, and the spirit of Wisdom came to me.
I esteemed her more than sceptres and thrones;
compared with her, I held riches as nothing.
I reckoned no priceless stone to be her peer,
for compared with her, all gold is a pinch of sand,
and beside her silver ranks as mud.
I loved her more than health or beauty,
preferred her to the light,
since her radiance never sleeps.
In her company all good things came to me,
at her hands riches not to be numbered.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 89(90):12-17 © |
Fill us with your love so that we may rejoice.
Make us know the shortness of our life
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Lord, relent! Is your anger for ever?
Show pity to your servants.
Fill us with your love so that we may rejoice.
In the morning, fill us with your love;
we shall exult and rejoice all our days.
Give us joy to balance our affliction
for the years when we knew misfortune.
Fill us with your love so that we may rejoice.
Show forth your work to your servants;
let your glory shine on their children.
Let the favour of the Lord be upon us:
give success to the work of our hands.
Fill us with your love so that we may rejoice.
Second reading | Hebrews 4:12-13 © |
The word of God cuts more finely than a double-edged sword
The word of God is something alive and active: it cuts like any double-edged sword but more finely: it can slip through the place where the soul is divided from the spirit, or joints from the marrow; it can judge the secret emotions and thoughts. No created thing can hide from him; everything is uncovered and open to the eyes of the one to whom we must give account of ourselves.
Gospel Acclamation | Mt11:25 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessed are you, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth,
for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom
to mere children.
Alleluia!
Or: | Mt5:3 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
How happy are the poor in spirit:
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 10:17-30 © |
Give everything you own to the poor, and follow me
Jesus was setting out on a journey when a man ran up, knelt before him and put this question to him, ‘Good master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: You must not kill; You must not commit adultery; You must not steal; You must not bring false witness; You must not defraud; Honour your father and mother.’ And he said to him, ‘Master, I have kept all these from my earliest days.’ Jesus looked steadily at him and loved him, and he said, ‘There is one thing you lack. Go and sell everything you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ But his face fell at these words and he went away sad, for he was a man of great wealth.
Jesus looked round and said to his disciples, ‘How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!’ The disciples were astounded by these words, but Jesus insisted, ‘My children,’ he said to them ‘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 a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’ They were more astonished than ever. ‘In that case’ they said to one another ‘who can be saved?’ Jesus gazed at them. ‘For men’ he said ‘it is impossible, but not for God: because everything is possible for God.’
Peter took this up. ‘What about us?’ he asked him. ‘We have left everything and followed you.’ Jesus said, ‘I tell you solemnly, there is no one who has left house, brothers, sisters, father, children or land for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not be repaid a hundred times over, houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and land – not without persecutions – now in this present time and, in the world to come, eternal life.’
INHERITING THE KINGDOM OF GOD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Wis 7:7-11; Ps 90:12-17; Heb 4:12-13; Mark 10:17-30]
In the gospel we read that “Jesus was setting out on a journey when a man ran up, knelt before him and put this question to him, ‘Good master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?'” This man was wealthy and most likely well dressed as well. For him to run up to Jesus did not seem a very dignified thing for such an accomplished man. Yet, it shows his sincerity and the sense of urgency, not wanting to lose the opportunity to find what was of utmost important to him, namely, eternal life. In his question, we can identify with this man. He must have been an ambitious man, worked hard to accumulate so much wealth. He was very focused and perhaps that was why he was very successful. But like him, even though some of us are wealthy, powerful, famous, hold prominent positions in society, yet we find life empty and unfulfilling. When we arrive at this stage, we come to realize that the things of this world simply cannot fulfil us, regardless how much we have, who we are and what we are doing.
The man knew that there could be no happiness in life unless we live the life of God. And singular-minded as he was, he tried to do it by his own strength. For when he called Jesus, “good master,” Jesus said, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments.” In other words, Jesus was saying only God can determine what is truly good. It is not man who sets the standards for goodness. Jesus significantly focused not so much on the first four commandments which is to love and worship God, but He drew his attention to the other six commandments that are centred on his relationship with his fellowmen. And what was his reply? He said, “Master, I have kept all these from my earliest days.”
Why then, was he still unfulfilled? What was preventing him from finding true happiness? In truth, he knew the answer partially. He asked Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” His question is a contradiction in terms. Eternal life is something that we inherit. We cannot work for it. But we can dispose ourselves to receive it. Inheritance is given to us not because we have earned it but because we have made people feel loved, wanted and cared for in their lives. When someone bequeaths his estate to a beneficiary, normally, that person is the one who has given him much love and support in his life. This explains why some even bequeath their estate to a dog or a cat simply because their pet was their only constant, faithful and loyal companion in his life. So, we cannot earn an inheritance. It is given. Jesus earlier on said, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” (Mk 10:14f) Children do not work for their inheritance. It is given to them as a privilege, not a merit, simply because they are the beloved of their parents. The kingdom of God too is a pure gift given to us. We only need to receive it.
To enter the kingdom of God simply means that we need to put relationship with God and with our brothers and sisters before everything else. It is beautiful relationships that make life meaningful and happy. Happiness is not about how much money we have, what positions we hold in life, how powerful we are, what glory and honour people bestow upon us, what achievements we have made and the trophies we have earned. We can have all these and yet find life tiresome, a struggle, with lots of division, quarrels, competition, and arguments because of ambition, greed and power struggle. There is no peace, no joy, no time for relationship, only time for work and work. But it is good relationships that we have with God and with our brothers and sisters that truly make us fulfilled and happy in life. Knowing that we are in the company of good friends, people who mutually care and love each other, sharing what we have, supporting each other in times of trial, encouraging and affirming each other in times of challenge. These are the things that make us truly happy.
This is why the Lord told the rich man, “There is one thing you lack. Go and sell everything you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” Happiness is to be with Jesus. Happiness is to be friends with everyone, especially those who are suffering and need our support. It is to walk with Jesus every day with the poor, basking ourselves in His presence. Jesus is our greatest friend and brother we can have in this world. He is ever faithful, loyal and His love is unconditional, always forgiving and generous in His mercy. When we walk with Jesus, we walk the way of Truth, Love and Life. This was the Lord’s invitation to the rich man. Come and follow me!
Following Jesus is also the key to fostering beautiful human relationships. Jesus said to Peter when he asked, “What about us? We have left everything and followed you.” His reply was, “I tell you solemnly, there is no one who has left house, brothers, sisters, father, children or land for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not be repaid a hundred times over, houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and land.” The rewards for following Him will not be just in this life but also in the life to come. This is the new life of belonging to the family of faith, the family of God when we are all brothers and sisters. Jesus was creating a new community founded on God and lived out in mutual love and fellowship in Him. This was the kind of early Christian community which we read in the Acts of the Apostles where Christians cared for each other and shared their wealth with those who were poorer, each giving themselves to the community according to their resources and talents. Christian fellowship continues into the next life when we truly become a communion of saints.
But this entails the wisdom and courage to understand the value of relationships with God and our fellowmen before everything else. Indeed, the greatest happiness parents can give to their children is a loving and supportive family. Instead, they focus on their career, building their business empire, making money, buying beautiful houses and luxury cars, but they have no time for relationship with their spouse, much less with their children. It is all about working hard, doing well in life, having a good career and making lots of money and having lots of luxury in life. In truth, we are all craving for sincere, loving and caring relationships. This is what we actually need, and most of us are starved because of our worldly pursuits which only bring strife, envy, competition and quarrels.
This is why the Lord warned the disciples that “it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” This is because those of us who are wealthy or have positions in life, tend to cling on to all these as our security. Indeed, rich and powerful people find great difficulty when they face death because they cannot let go of what they have. We value these worthless things above relationships. We see people and things in terms of cost and benefit. When we are more attached to worldly things, we cannot truly love people or have a real relationship with them. We measure them by how much we can get out from them. But true relationship is about giving and sharing without counting the cost. The true value of life is when our happiness is found in an intimate relationship with God and with our fellowmen. If we fall in love with God and our fellowmen, this is eternal life. Indeed, the man went away sad because he could not surrender his wealth and walk with Jesus. He chose to walk with his wealth.
Hence, we need the Word of God, as the letter to the Hebrews tells us, “it can judge the secret emotions and thoughts. No created thing can hide from him; everything is uncovered and open to the eyes of the one to whom we must give account of ourselves.” The danger is that when we think we are detached from our wealth, we might not really be. When we say everything we have belongs to God, then we must be ready to surrender all we have to Him when asked. Otherwise, we are deceiving ourselves. We are still attached, just like the apostles as well. Today, we need to pray for true wisdom to distinguish what brings real happiness and what does not. The book of wisdom exhorts us. “I prayed, and understanding was given me; I entreated, and the spirit of Wisdom came to me. I esteemed her more than sceptres and thrones; compared with her, I held riches as nothing.”
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment