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Gospel Reading for October 13, 2024 – Mark 10: 17-30
EMPATHIZE
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.”
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Why did Jesus say, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!”? Perhaps, it is because when we are wealthy (especially those who are born wealthy) and lead very comfortable lives, it is difficult to EMPATHIZE with the plight of the poor who live under bridges (difficult to imagine for one who lives in air-conditioned and big houses); who eat only one meal (not even nutritious) a day; who do not have enough clothes (even decent ones) to wear; who cannot afford proper medical services when they get sick; whose children are unable to go to school; whose children are made by their parents to beg for money or to sell products on the street; and so on and so forth. Perhaps, we have become wealthy because we always get the biggest share of the pie in our business, while our employees or people who work for us do not receive their just share. Perhaps, it is because when we are wealthy, we tend to get attached to our wealth and will not want to part with it, oblivious to the plight of the poor.
This is the very reason why wealth cannot buy REAL HAPPINESS and INNER PEACE. Jesus is teaching us that since all our wealth comes from God, it is not meant for us alone. We may argue that we deserve to get what we have because of our capabilities, but then again, all our capabilities come from him too. Jesus did not say that wealth is evil, but that wealth makes it difficult for us to enter the Kingdom of God. Difficulty does not mean Impossibility. As Jesus said, all things are possible with God. All we need is to SINCERELY follow him with a view towards eternal life.
Lord, teach us to give more value to things that will assure us of eternal life rather than things that are temporary in this life!
