First Reading
28th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle B – 2009 Wisdom 7:7-11
I prayed, and prudence was given me; I pleaded, and the spirit of wisdom came to me. I preferred her to scepter and throne, and deemed riches nothing in comparison with her, nor did I liken any priceless gem to her; because all gold, in view of her, is a little sand, and before her, silver is to be accounted mire. Beyond health and comeliness I loved her, and I chose to have her rather than the light, because the splendor of her never yields to sleep. Yet all good things together came to me in her company, and countless riches at her hands.
Second Reading
Hebrews 4:12-13
Brothers and sisters: Indeed the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart. No creature is concealed from him, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account.
Gospel Cycle Cycle B
Mark 10:17-30
As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answered him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and your mother.” He replied and said to him, “Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” The disciples were amazed at his words. So Jesus again said to them in reply, “Children, 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 one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.” Peter began to say to him, “We have given up everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.”
Last Sunday we listened to readings about married life. This Sunday we have readings that speak about the interior life of anyone who wants to seek God with strong intensity, married or single. The first reading, from the Book of Wisdom, invites us to pray for prudent and wisdom, as did Solomon. Many times we Christians forget to pray for the virtues and gifts of the Lord that we really need. We can remember the story of Solomon, who asked for wisdom and not power. We too can ask for wisdom in our daily lives and prudence.
The second reading, from the Letter to the Hebrews, reminds us that God’s word will go to the depths of our souls and change us—if we allow that word to be at work within us. All we have to do is invite the word of God to dwell in us and our lives begin to change.
Today’s Gospel from Saint Mark perhaps sounds extreme to us, but anyone who wants to follow the Lord Jesus seriously understands the necessity of giving up everything else for His sake. Even if a person cannot give up everything right now, the person who begins to follow Christ and stays faithful in seeking Him finds out that everything must be abandoned for His sake.
At the end of today’s Gospel we find that everything is given back, but in the way of God, not in a human way. We must have a complete confidence that God will provide all that we need in every aspect of our lives. As that confidence grows, we are more and more able to give all that we have for the sake of following our Lord Jesus.
This Gospel has almost always been seen as an invitation, not as a commandment. It is the invitation of our Lord to discover the joy of following Him. It is the invitation of our Lord to trust Him completely. Perhaps, like this young man, we feel that we cannot do this all at once. Even if we cannot do it all at once, we can set out on this road and begin to experience what it means to give up what we have. We may not find it so impossible.
Let us pray this Sunday for the graces that each of us need to be faithful to this God who loves us in Jesus Christ.