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Commentary on the Gospel for Sunday, October 13, 2024
Dear friends,
It’s not about being obsessed, but decisions can’t be made without thinking. You need knowledge and will. The first reading is about «wisdom.» We inherit things like our physical shape, our background, and in monarchies, power. Many people help us learn throughout our lives, including our parents, teachers, and tutors.
The wisdom of the first reading is a gift from God. We must ask for wisdom in prayer to know how to value things properly. Most things are not bad, but some are more important than others. Our attitude towards them is the main thing. This is not a game; it is about our salvation.
The Word of God gives us guidelines for discernment. That Word is living and effective. The Lord’s words always have an effect, like rain that doesn’t fall fruitlessly (Is 55:10-11). The Word can change us if we let it. Don’t say, «I already know,» or «I’ve heard this before.» Listen as if it’s the first time. Desire to know Jesus as those people did, who traveled far and fought many barriers to get closer to him.
If nothing changes, it might be because our words are not as effective as the Word.
Jesus met many people. He invited some people to follow him. «Come and follow me.» People had different reactions. Some left everything and followed him. Some followed him, but when the time came, they left. One betrayed him after being a member of his group. Today’s Gospel is about a young man who didn’t step forward but withdrew in sorrow. He was good and kept the law. For his contemporaries, wealth was a sign of God’s blessing. It was a reward for his honest life.
Maybe he heard about Christ and wanted to meet him. He set out to meet the Master with that idea in mind. But sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for. He met the Lord, but when he heard what Christ was telling him, he collapsed. Everything he was proud of was insufficient. He lacked the most important thing: putting God first. What a pity!
This young man wanted to know how to get to Heaven. Many Christians today just want to live comfortably without worrying about the afterlife. Not many think about what it means to live forever.
Many people are like the rich young man. They lack generosity and courage. Some people are afraid of failure. Peter asked Jesus, «We have left everything; what will we receive in return?» (Mt 19:27-30). This shows that they don’t trust in God’s promises. We must trust in God’s promises more than in our fears.
Our lives are about putting our trust in God or material goods. Our faith is tested. We need to feel that God is real and that we can rely on him. God is generous.
Have we asked ourselves what God wants from us? Are we doing all we can to spread his kingdom? What moves me in my daily life? What do I, a Christian in the 21st century, want to do? St. Teresa, whose memorial we celebrate on October 15, often repeated, «What do you command me to do?»
The world is isolating us from God. We have many obligations, like family and work. We often only have time or money for a little at a time.
Maybe, like the rich young man, we’re afraid of making big changes to live by the Gospel. Long ago, Christians were willing to leave their homes, families, and lives to follow the Lord. This was a valuable inheritance that could never be taken away. Many early Christians died for this.
What about us? Maybe we’re like the rich young man: «good people,» formal, dutiful. That’s not bad. But being in the Kingdom is not just about following rules. Be sincere in your relationship with Christ. Put material goods in their proper place. We must not become attached to things that can give us prestige or power but do not give us eternal happiness. To reach the Kingdom, we must not be attached to material things. We do not get there by being more or less rich, but by how we use our wealth.
The Gospel today invites us to think about whether we need to change. Maybe we can do more than the minimum. Maybe we can share our gifts with others. To live with Jesus, like Jesus, to find eternal life, worrying about the future.
We need wisdom to know what is truly worthwhile and what is not. We need to know what we will lose when we die and what we cannot lose. We need a value system and to ask God for the detachment and generosity to live the most radical love. That love does not deceive.
Your brother in faith,