FIRST READING 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 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.”
My sisters and brothers in Jesus Christ,
We can ask ourselves today: for what do I pray? It is always important to see what we ask of the Lord and to be aware that what we ask says a lot about us. We want to follow the Lord Jesus and we want to be willing to give up all things in order to follow Him.
The Gospel of Mark today gives us the story of a young man who seems to be very good and yet is attached still to the things of this world. Probably most of us are attached to something in this world. It will be important for us to recognize those attachments so that we can begin to work against them in our lives. Jesus tells us clearly that all things are possible with God. So we can never tell ourselves: I just cannot do this! Rather, we might tell ourselves: I don’t seem to be able to do this yet, but I will keep praying and keep trying.
The first reading today, from the Book of Wisdom, tells us the value of praying for prudence and a spirit of wisdom. What a wonderful gift those virtues can be in our lives. Most of us have received those gifts, at least in small portions. Yet we can pray for more prudence and more wisdom. These gifts of virtue will allow us to continue the struggle against our brokenness. Prudence will keep us fighting a small fight and perhaps winning now and then, rather than pushing for a great fight, losing that and then falling into despair. Wisdom will show us when and what we can fight.
Part of the advice of the earliest Christian spiritual writers was to choose spiritual battles that could be won, and start the spiritual life with those. This was prudence and wisdom again, indicating that if we choose the biggest fights first, we quite likely will fail and stop the spiritual struggle.
For the spiritual struggle, seeking to overcome that things that we might desire more than we desire God, the Letter to the Hebrews reminds us that, Indeed the word of God is living and effective. We need take time every day to live in the presence of that word, savoring that word, listening to that word and allowing that word to form us and give us strength.
My sisters and brothers, it is the living God whom we seek. It is the living God who chooses us today and invites to go deeper into the spiritual struggle so that we may be able to hear His call and respond: Here am I, O Lord! I come to do your will.
Your brother in the Lord,
Abbot Philip