"Behold I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him..." (Revelation 3:20) A collection of my Sunday homilies for Holy Mass as well as some occasional talks and reflections. May my words enable you to hear the voice of Christ, who asks that you open the door to Him. Please share this podcast with others if you benefit from listening to it.
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The rich young man is a fascinating character in the gospels. His sincere desire to do what is right in endearing. In this desire and his inability to follow Christ he has much to teach us.
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There are many ways to approach sacred scripture. Among our approaches to sacred scripture, particularly the gospels, is that we believe that Christ meant what he said and said what he meant. He does not utter pious platitudes. Also as we hear from the letter to the Hebrews, we believe that the Word of God is not dead, but is something alive and active. Furthermore, the Word of God is a person, Jesus Christ, the eternal word, the one and complete utterance of God, who was in the beginning with God and is God. From this eternal word no created thing can hide. Everything is uncovered, and open to the eyes of the one to whom we must give an account of ourselves. That last sentence can be most unsettling, but it shouldn't be if our lives are honestly and sincerely directed towards Christ, if we are careful to avoid sin and to grow in virtue, if we take Jesus at his word. Let us now look at the gospel episode of the rich young man who had a very personal encounter with the Word of God. The rich young man wants to know what we all want to know, namely how to live in this life so that we might live forever in the world to come. He seeks what today Psalm calls wisdom of heart. This young man stands out among all those who came to Jesus. Almost all of the others sought healing for their sickness and infirmities. This one sought wisdom and the possession of eternal life. We should ask ourselves how much do I want to possess eternal life in heaven? And what am I prepared to do to possess it? There is evidence that the young man is sincere in speaking with Jesus because he is polite in addressing him and calls him good master. With kindness Christ draws the young man's attention towards God, who is the source of goodness, and in doing that he implies that he is God. Then the young man confesses with simplicity how he has lived his life. It is at this moment that Jesus as God looks into the young man's heart and beholds there nothing but sincerity. For this Jesus loves him. How wonderful that is Does Christ look into your heart and see the same or greater level of sincerity? Knowing the one thing he lacked our Lord says, Go and sell everything you own, then come follow me. Unfortunately, at this moment, the young man cannot do that, and he goes away sad. I wonder was Jesus sad also? The Lord uses this as a teaching moment for the apostles, those who were listening to him, and for us as well. Where does the sadness that the young man felt come from? Is it from the great wealth that he had? Or is it within his heart, in his attitude to the wealth? We cannot say for sure. Those who are rich can find it very hard to enter the kingdom of God, says Christ, because wealth can take possession of a person's heart, whereas the human heart's natural home is within the sacred heart of Christ Himself. The real treasure in this life is not wealth, but it is wisdom, that is, knowing what is really good, and then choosing accordingly. Wisdom is obtained by asking God for it, as we hear in the first reading, because all things are possible for God, as Christ teaches us, even the transforming of the human heart. The wisdom that comes from God looks upon the goods of this world as essentially good. Likewise the accumulation of wealth is necessary for living and the welfare of the family. Furthermore, using our God given talents to obtain material wealth is itself an expression of gratitude to God. The right perspective on wealth is present when a person knows that one of the motives for the duty of working is to be able to provide for those in need. To have something to share with the poor frees a person from the immoderate or disordered regard for money or riches. We must also ask ourselves the question are there other possessions that may lead us away from wisdom, away from giving ourselves to completely to Christ, as Saint Peter and the other apostles did? Could it be comfort relationships, respectability, notoriety, status on social media or achievements? What must I do to live fully for Christ's sake and the sake of the gospel? At Holy Mass Christ the Eternal Word and the wisdom of God makes himself available to us in Holy Communion. Let us ask him for the wisdom to live good and holy lives in this world, and finally to enter into the eternal bliss of heaven. Of course, in this month dedicated to the Holy Rosary, let us remember that our Lady promised that those who pray her rosary would have their desire for eternal things strengthened. Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us.
