Dear Parish Family, Keeping Life’s Priorities The readings today really hit us to the core of our lives. They ask us to consider where we find meaning in life. The second reading from Hebrews 4 says that the Word of God is a two-edged sword, by that it means one that is very sharp and very strong. It cuts into us and uncovers the thoughts, reflections, and desires of our hearts. We read in the Gospels of so many people meeting Jesus and going away completely transformed. So many people who met Jesus were healed of illnesses, found meaning and went away totally different persons. Many people who met Jesus went away happy. But in the Gospel today a man meets Jesus and goes away sad (Mark 10:22). It is the only time in all the Gospels that someone who was called by Jesus went away sad. This meeting between the man and Jesus showed such promise and yet ended so badly. The disturbing thing is that we can see aspects of ourselves in this man also which begs the question, “are we going away sad or happy when we meet Jesus in the many ways in which we meet him?” Let’s look at some of the things we may have in common with the man. ·The man was a spiritual person. He asked Jesus what he should do to inherit eternal life. He was genuinely interested in growing closer to God. He had kept all the commandments from his youth. Like this man we are also searching to come closer to God and we want to inherit eternal life. ·Jesus looked steadily at the man and was filled with love for him. Some scholars believe that Mark intends us to understand that Jesus embraced or hugged the man. We know that Jesus loves each of us also. Jesus appreciates our efforts to discern his will and leave sin behind and live a new life of grace. ·The man was already living a very good life, but Jesus had much more in mind for him. Jesus knew that he could achieve even greater heights of holiness, so Jesus invited him to raise his goal, “You are lacking in one thing.” (Mark 10:21) The man had all the money he needed but he was still lacking in one thing. We are all lacking in at least one thing and perhaps many things to achieve more holiness and come closer to God. Then Jesus gave the man the challenge which he was unwilling to accept; go, sell, give, come, follow. The young man was unwilling to make this sacrifice and went away sad. Now we can see that he was not as close to God as we might at first have imagined. He was obeying all the rules, but his heart was still not focused properly on God. The man in the Gospel is a contrast to King Solomon whom we are to understand is talking in the first reading. He says he placed wisdom which we could say is right relationship with God, before riches. Naturally the question we all have on our minds now is what does that command of Jesus to the man mean for us? Does Jesus ask us to go, sell, give, come, follow? Jesus does call some people now to radically give up everything as he called the man in today’s Gospel. We can think of all those in religious vows in the Catholic Church who take a vow of poverty. Different religious congregations take different vows, but most take the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. We do not have to see Jesus’ command to the man - go, sell, give, come, follow - as applying only to money. The one thing in which we are lacking may be something else. We may be lacking in some virtue. We may be proud or selfish or lustful and thus lacking in humility or compassion or purity of heart. All of us want to be happy. All of us want to live lives of meaning. All of us want to finish our physical lives united to God. To do all this we need to keep the priorities of life straight. God and His Presence in others must be first. His love must grow. His Word must envelope the world. If we allow that to happen, God Himself will take care of the rest of our needs. Solomon said that along with wisdom, all good things came to him. With God’s blessings, Fr Tom Kunnel C.O.