20220228 THE ULTIMATE GOAL IN LIFE
28 February, 2022, Monday, Week 8 in Ordinary Time
First reading | 1 Peter 1:3-9 © |
You did not see Christ, yet you love him
Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy has given us a new birth as his sons, by raising Jesus Christ from the dead, so that we have a sure hope and the promise of an inheritance that can never be spoilt or soiled and never fade away, because it is being kept for you in the heavens. Through your faith, God’s power will guard you until the salvation which has been prepared is revealed at the end of time. This is a cause of great joy for you, even though you may for a short time have to bear being plagued by all sorts of trials; so that, when Jesus Christ is revealed, your faith will have been tested and proved like gold – only it is more precious than gold, which is corruptible even though it bears testing by fire – and then you will have praise and glory and honour. You did not see him, yet you love him; and still without seeing him, you are already filled with a joy so glorious that it cannot be described, because you believe; and you are sure of the end to which your faith looks forward, that is, the salvation of your souls.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 110(111):1-2,5-6,9-10 © |
The Lord keeps his covenant in mind.
or
Alleluia!
I will thank the Lord with all my heart
in the meeting of the just and their assembly.
Great are the works of the Lord,
to be pondered by all who love them.
The Lord keeps his covenant in mind.
or
Alleluia!
He gives food to those who fear him;
keeps his covenant ever in mind.
He has shown his might to his people
by giving them the lands of the nations.
The Lord keeps his covenant in mind.
or
Alleluia!
He has sent deliverance to his people
and established his covenant for ever.
Holy his name, to be feared.
The Lord keeps his covenant in mind.
or
Alleluia!
To fear the Lord is the first stage of wisdom;
all who do so prove themselves wise.
His praise shall last for ever!
The Lord keeps his covenant in mind.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation | cf.1Th2:13 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Accept God’s message for what it really is:
God’s message, and not some human thinking.
Alleluia!
Or: | 2Co8:9 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Jesus Christ was rich,
but he became poor for your sake,
to make you rich out of his poverty.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 10:17-27 © |
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.’
THE ULTIMATE GOAL IN LIFE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 PETER 1:3-9; MARK 10:17-27 ]
What is your goal in life? It is important that we set our sights on the higher goals in life. What would this goal be? The same as that of the rich young man when he asked Jesus, “Good master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Or in the words of the first letter of Peter, we must look forward to “the promise of an inheritance that can never be spoilt or soiled and never fade away, because it is being kept for you in the heavens”. Hence, we must be concerned with the ultimate goal, which is our salvation or better still, to share in the life of Christ.
But how can we attain salvation? St Peter says, “Through your faith, God’s power will guard you until the salvation which has been prepared is revealed at the end of time.” We cannot attain salvation except through faith in Christ. Salvation is not our doing but the work of God in us. This is the fundamental mistake of the rich young man for he asked Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Indeed, Jesus wanted him to reflect further as to whether ‘doing’ can bring true happiness. That is why He asked the young man whether he kept the commandments. Of course, his reply was “Master, I have kept all these from my earliest days.” Indeed, even if we keep all the commandments of the Lord, we might still find a sense of emptiness. How sad it is to realize that we have done so much and worked so hard and yet we are still so far from God and eternal life!
Hence, it is clear that salvation can only be found in Christ. This explains why 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.'” Yes, eternal life is not so much about doing things, but being with Jesus. It is our union with Jesus that gives us real happiness. Doing flows from our being with Jesus, but it is not the priority. Of course, if we follow Jesus, then we will do all that Jesus did, including observing the commandments. But these are kept not as some means of achievements in life but rather as an expression of our love for God and for our fellowmen. Eternal life for us is to be identified with Christ the Good Shepherd.
Truly, this is what eternal life is all about. Eternal life is to share in the life of God. Salvation is not even the ultimate goal in life. It is to live in such a way that the glory of God is manifested in our lives. For that to be a reality, we must live a sanctified life, which is the life of Christ. By so doing, we give glory to God since we share in the life of God. Consequently, we must in the same breath say that happiness is to live for the glory of God.
But like the rich man, it is so difficult to let go and let God take over. We want to be in control. We do not want salvation to be the work of God in us. We want to work for our salvation so that we can feel that we have earned it. This is the real reason why we crave for riches like the rich man. He could not let go of his riches for these were his security. Money in itself is useless unless money gives power and control over our destiny and the lives of others. If we want to have more money in life, it is because we do not want to live in insecurity. We do not want to live from the hand of God. Of course, wealth is only a material symbol. It could be our talents, our skills, our looks and status, etc. We feel secure by focusing on all these and we spend much time acquiring more and more of these.
Is this wrong? Is acquiring wealth and other things of this sort against the gospel? Certainly not! But we must purify our motives that in all that we do, it is truly for the love of Christ, the glory of God and for the service of man. If we are just interested in accumulating more and more of these external qualities, we will rely more on ourselves than on the power of God at work in us. We can justify what we do only by one criterion which is, “Go and sell everything you own and give the money to the poor.” In other words, if we accumulate all these worldly honours, we must ask ourselves sincerely whether what we are trying to achieve is really for the service of the poor, materially or otherwise, and not for ourselves. And if necessary, are we ready to give up all these for the sake of the poor?
Such is the temptation and distraction of wealth and power in all its forms that Jesus “looked round and said to his disciples, ‘How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!'” As if the point is not made, He elaborated further and 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.'” Not surprisingly, the disciples were not only astounded by these words but “were more astonished than ever”.
This explains the reaction of the rich man at the words of Jesus. “His face fell at these words and he went away sad, for he was a man of great wealth.” Indeed, like the disciples, we simply cannot let go. So where is the need for God in our lives?
Since we are so well provided for, does it mean therefore that we cannot grow in holiness and be more identified with Christ? No, the first reading reminds us of the trials that all of us would have to contend with. Perhaps our sufferings are not of the material kind; we are however not exempted from sufferings. Yes, we will be plagued with all sorts of trials. Most of them come from our desire to be faithful to the gospel life. We will be tested in patience, humility, generosity and compassion. When we try to be obedient to the truth, we will face misunderstanding, ridicule and even ostracism.
In the face of trials then, our faith is tested. We will know whether we love God or ourselves more. As St Peter said, “This is a cause of great joy for you, even though you may for a short time have to bear with being plagued by all sorts of trials; so that, when Jesus Christ is revealed, your faith will have been tested and proved like gold.” How we respond to trials in our lives will determine how much you love Christ and have given up all to follow Him. If we truly love the Lord, then we will stay firm in our course, never giving up, never becoming bitter, and never becoming disillusioned or sceptical.
Instead, we must be able to respond like what St Peter said, “This is a cause of great joy.” Yes, in our trials, it will prove how much we love Him. We can overcome our trials and come out stronger only if we truly love Him. When that happens, we can understand the sentiments of Peter, “You did not see him, yet you love him; and still without seeing him, you are already filled with a joy so glorious that it cannot be described, because you believe; and you are sure of the end to which your faith looks forward, that is, the salvation of your souls.” Truly, we do not mind carrying the cross with Jesus for it is the only way for our faith to be “tested and proved like gold – only it is more precious than gold, which is corruptible even though it bears testing by fire – and then you will have praise and glory and honour.”
In His great mercy, the Father has already “given us a new birth as his sons, by raising Jesus Christ from the dead.” This confirms the words of Jesus when the disciples said, “‘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.'” With God, nothing is impossible. He has raised His Son from death. With Jesus, nothing is impossible too. Let us pray to Him and intensify our union with Him so that by following Him and being with Him, we can be like the camel, bending down his head in humility to enter the eye of the needle.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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