The Art of Letting Go
The fascinating story of the young man eagerly running to Jesus to get the answer to a burning desire in his heart, in many ways, mirrors the inner quest and disappointments of many in society. “What must I do for eternal life?” Our efforts and achievements are not enough. Our place and honor in society seem to have something still wanting. Our faithfulness to the legal system and basic commandments has been commendable and in fact, we kept them from our early days.
“Jesus looked at him with love.” Then there is a pause! Just like a lover waiting to get an affirmative heart-warming answer for all the efforts, the young man waits! “There is one thing you lack. Go and sell what you have and give to the poor; you will then have treasure in heaven. After that come and follow me.” At these words of Jesus, the man’s face fell. He went away sad, for he had many possessions.
There is a double-edged melancholy in this parting. We are sad at not being able to let go of all the assets we once thought protected us and ensured our safety and future; for we now know that what we imagined was security, somehow has become bondage with strong chains. Again, all the security we relied on cannot prevent the doorway of death to be permanently closed or let us through with a heaving sigh of relief that we are ready for life hereafter. We have been enlightened on the pathway of wisdom and happiness in life. Our source of knowledge is very reliable as we heard it firsthand from the Master and this adds to the pain of departure. Walking away with all our assets intact is no consolation for the future looks bleak and unsure.
The renowned investor and philanthropist Sir John Templeton, who created the Templeton Growth Fund and became one of the wealthiest men in the world, was deeply conscious of the dangers of material aspirations as an end in and of themselves. He explained, “The person who depends on the richness of his faith, rather than the wealth of his possessions, is the one who will find true peace and contentment in life.”
In a fast-paced and relentlessly competitive world, where success is often measured by material possessions and social status, finding a balance between materialism and spirituality has never been more challenging especially for us who live and move in a media saturated world. We live in a time when consumerism is at an all-time high and growing exponentially. A 2010 study, published in the American Sociological Review, found that people who regularly attend religious services and are involved in a faith-based community almost always report higher levels of happiness than those not involved in such communities.
Pope Paul VI, in his encyclical ‘Populorum Progressio’,1967 no.19 wrote: “Neither individuals nor nations should regard the possession of more and more goods as the ultimate objective. Every kind of progress is a two-edged sword. It is necessary if man is to grow as a human being; yet it can also enslave him, if he comes to regard it as the supreme good and cannot look beyond it. When this happens, men harden their hearts, shut out others from their minds and gather together solely for reasons of self-interest rather than out of friendship; dissension and disunity follow soon after.
Thus, the exclusive pursuit of material possessions prevents man's growth as a human being and stands in opposition to his true grandeur. Avarice, in individuals and in nations, is the most obvious form of stultified moral development”.
‘Letting go and Gratitude’ are the two keys to a happy life. Cultivate a mindset of gratitude for what we have rather than focusing on what we lack. Gratitude can shift our perspective and help us appreciate the richness of life beyond material possessions and become an instrument of God’s generosity to the needy around us. The only way to life for us was to let go of the womb. Life was challenging compared to the comfort of the womb. So it is that to be born into eternal life we must loosen our tight clutch on all the securities and gifts we hold so dear and flow into the ocean of eternity with a sense of abandon to God’s immense Grace. Fr Tom Kunnel, C.O