Give - and You Will Have Treasure in Heaven
Introduction:
May the Lord Jesus continue to impart to you the Wisdom
you need to accept who you are in GOD’s eyes and Who GOD Is.
There was an email narrating his financial problems, relationships that were
supposed to be loving were actually just shams, and then there were health issues.
What touched me about the message from this individual was the faith the person
had in GOD. This individual had such Wisdom to realize that possessions, health,
fame, and prestige were nothing compared to being in a relationship with the GOD
Who loves and promises eternal life to all those who are willing to follow the Lord
Jesus.
A few days later, the friend wrote back talking about how GOD had sent blessings
in various forms. The person’s faith and trust in GOD had turned into blessings
beyond imagination at the time of the first email. If we focus on GOD and seek the
Wisdom of GOD, we will see things in a new light and be open to the gifts that the
Lord Jesus has been, is, and will be bestowing upon us.
The
link between “Wisdom” and our life with GOD takes center stage in today’s readings,
at least for me. The First Reading reflects the prayer of Solomon who chooses Wisdom
over all other gifts, and in choosing Wisdom receives everything else besides. The
Responsorial Psalm is a prayer to GOD for the gift of loving Wisdom. The passage
from the Letter to the Hebrews describes the Word of GOD (a term associated both
with “Wisdom” and with Jesus Himself) as a very active and powerful instrument that
can “cut to the quick.” In the Gospel, Jesus is questioned by a young man who seeks
to have eternal life. Jesus responds with words of Wisdom that “cut to the quick”
for the young man, who leaves sadly.
First Reading; Wisdom 7:7-11: I esteemed
Wisdom more than sceptres or thrones
Commentary: The Book of Wisdom was written a bare half-century
before the birth of Christ, at a time when all hope of a personal Messiah in the
line of David seemed remote. The only way in which God might enter into this world
seemed to be by his Wisdom. This chapter goes on to show how God created the world
and continues to rule it by his Wisdom. Divine Wisdom is described as the ‘mirror
of God’s active power and image of his goodness’, language seeking to describe how
Wisdom is in God and yet is not exactly identical with the Creator. This language
will be used also by Paul and John to describe the incarnation of the Word of God.
Responsorial Psalm 90:12-17: Fill us
with your love so that we may rejoice.
The
Responsorial Psalm today is a request that GOD be the source of Wisdom, understanding,
and teaching for all of GOD’s servants. As GOD bestows these gifts on the people
who invoke GOD’s name, they are given kindness, joy, and prosperity.
Second Reading; Hebrews 4:12-13: The
word of God cuts more finely than a double-edged sword
Commentary: The Word of God can here be understood
on two levels. The Word of God which is the scripture penetrates the human soul.
That is why we need to read the scriptures to come to know the ways of God. Through
this prayerful reading, we can come to understand the world and even ourselves as
God sees them, gradually growing in understanding of his will for us, how I personally
can be penetrated by the Spirit of God and grow closer to the Lord. The author of
the Letter is inviting readers to reflect on the psalm which speaks of the ‘place
of rest’ for the People of God, and to understand that their arrival in Canaan after
the wanderings in the desert was not the final ‘place of rest’ designed for them
by God; they are still on pilgrimage. The Word of God can also be understood as
the Word which became flesh, as in the Prologue to John’s Gospel. Jesus is the Word
of God become flesh, the image of his goodness, by which we can come to know God.
The two senses are combined in the glorious vision, at the beginning of the Book
of Revelation, of the Risen Christ, the Lord of the Church, from whose mouth issues
a two-edged sword, by which he judges the world.
Gospel Mark 10:17-30: Give everything
you own to the poor, and follow me
Commentary: After a story about the renunciation of
status comes another about the renunciation of wealth. This exchange between Jesus
and the rich man is often read with Matthew’s parallel in mind, where Jesus tells
the young man to sell his possessions ‘if you would be perfect’. There are no such
two levels in Mark’s story. The questioner has a certain age, for he has kept the
commandments ‘from my earliest days’. He is in the full flush of wealth, and getting
rid of his riches is not a mere counsel of perfection. Jesus is stressing the danger
of possessions for everyone. It is a curious fact that for many people, the more
they have, the more they want. Conversely, the less people have, the more generous
they are, knowing the value to other needy people of the little they have. It is
not merely that we need to be free of the preoccupations and distractions of wealth.
Wealth can be a good preoccupation if the worry comes from awareness of the responsibility
it brings. Repeatedly, however, in the history of the Church, from St Anthony of
the Desert, St Francis of Assisi, and others, people have interpreted these words
heroically and stripped themselves of all possessions to concentrate on the Kingdom
of God. God’s blessing is especially on the poor.
Reflection: What gives hope and satisfaction to our
desire for happiness and security? A young man who had the best the world could
offer - wealth and security - came to Jesus because he lacked one thing (Mark 10:17-27).
He wanted the kind of lasting peace and happiness which money could not buy him.
The answer he got, however, was not what he was looking for. He protested that he
kept all the commandments - but Jesus spoke to the trouble in his heart. One thing
kept him from giving himself whole-heartedly to God. While he lacked nothing in
material goods, he was nonetheless possessive of what he had. He placed his hope
and security in what he possessed. So when Jesus challenged him to make God his
one true possession and treasure, he became sad.
Misplaced hope and treasure: Why did he go away
from Jesus with great sorrow and sadness rather than with joy? His treasure and
his hope for happiness were misplaced. Jesus challenged the young man because his
heart was possessive. He was afraid to give to others for fear that he would lose
what he had gained. He sought happiness and security in what he possessed rather
than in who he could love and serve and give himself in undivided devotion.
The greatest joy possible: Why does Jesus tell
his disciples to "sell all" for the treasure of his kingdom? Treasure
has a special connection to the heart, the place of desire and longing, the place
of will and focus. The thing we most set our heart on is our highest treasure. The
Lord himself is the greatest treasure we can have. Giving up everything else to
have the Lord as our treasure is not sorrowful, but the greatest joy. [See Jesus'
parable about the treasure hidden in a field in Matthew 13:44.] Selling all that
we have could mean many different things - letting go of attachments, friendships,
influences, jobs, entertainment, styles of life - really anything that might stand
in the way of our loving God first and foremost in our lives and giving him the
best, we can with our time, resources, gifts, and service.
The priceless treasure of God's kingdom: Those
who are generous towards God and towards their neighbor find that they cannot outmatch
God in his generosity towards us. God blesses us with the priceless treasures of
his kingdom - freedom from fear and the gripping power of sin, selfishness, and
pride which block his love and grace in our lives. Freedom from loneliness, isolation,
and rejection keeps his children from living together in love, peace, and unity.
And freedom from hopelessness, despair, and disillusionment which blind our vision
of God's power to heal every hurt, bind every wound, and remove every blemish that
mar the image of God within us. God offers us treasure which money cannot buy. He
alone can truly satisfy the deepest longing and desires of our hearts. Are you willing
to part with anything that might keep you from seeking true joy with Jesus?
Why
does Jesus issue such a strong warning to the rich (as well as to the rest of us
who desire to be rich)? Was he really against wealth? We know that Jesus was not
opposed to wealth per se, nor was he opposed to the wealthy. He had many friends
who were well-to-do, including some notorious tax collectors! One even became an
apostle! Jesus' warning reiterated the teaching of the Old Testament wisdom: Better
is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is perverse in his
ways (Proverbs 28:6; see also Psalm 37:16). Do not wear yourself out to get rich;
be wise enough to desist (Proverbs 23:4).
Where do we find true security? Jesus seems
to say that it is nearly impossible for the rich to live as citizens of God's kingdom.
The camel was regarded as the largest animal in Palestine. The "eye of the
needle" could be interpreted quite literally or it could figuratively describe
the narrow and low gate of the city walls which was used by travelers when the larger
public gate was locked after dark. A normal-sized man had to "lower" himself
to enter that gate. A camel would literally have to knell and crawl through it.
Why
is Jesus so cautious about wealth? Wealth can make us falsely independent. The church
at Laodicea was warned about their attitude towards wealth and a false sense of
security: "For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing"
(Revelation 3:17). Wealth can also lead us into hurtful desires and selfishness
(see 1 Timothy 6:9-10). Look at the lesson Jesus gave about the rich man and his
sons who refused to aid the poor man Lazarus (see Luke 16:19ff). They also neglected
to serve God.
We lose what we keep - we gain what we give away: Right
after a wealthy young man refused to follow Jesus, Peter, somewhat crudely wanted
to know what he and the other disciples would get out of it since they had freely
accepted Jesus' offer to follow him unconditionally (Mark 10:28-30). Jesus spoke
with utter honesty: Those who left all for him would receive a hundred times more
now, even in this life, as well as unending life in the age to come.
The
Gospel presents us with a paradox: we lose what we keep, and we gain what we give
away. When we lose our lives for Jesus Christ, we gain a priceless treasure and
an inheritance which lasts forever. Whatever we give to God comes back a hundredfold.
Generosity flows from a heart full of gratitude for the abundant mercy and grace
which God grants. And generosity will be amply repaid, both in this life and in
the life to come (Proverbs 3:9-10, Luke 6:38).
What's
the best investment you can make with your life now and in the future? Jesus offers
us an incomparable treasure that no money can buy and no thief can steal. The thing
we most set our heart on is our highest treasure. Material wealth will shackle us
to this earth unless we guard our hearts and set our treasure on God and his everlasting
kingdom. Where is your treasure?
Jesus
did not hesitate to tell his disciples that they can expect both blessing from God
and persecution from the world which is opposed to God and his ways. We should neither
be surprised nor fear those who try to intimidate us or oppose us when we take a
stand for God's kingdom of truth and righteousness. No earthly reward or treasure
can outmatch the joy and bliss of knowing God's love, mercy, and peace and the joy
of knowing that our names are written in heaven where we will dwell with God forever.
Do you know the joy of the Lord and the treasure he has stored up for us in heaven?
"Lord
Jesus, you have captured our hearts and opened to us the treasures of heaven. May
you always be my treasure and delight and may nothing else keep me from giving you
my all."
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers:
Seek the life that endures, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D. "The Lord said
to a certain young man, 'If you would enter life, keep the commandments' (Matthew
19:17; Mark 10:17; Luke 18:18). He did not say 'If you would have life' but 'If
you would enter life,' defining that life as eternal life. Let us first consider
then the love of this life. For this life is loved, whatever its quality; and however,
troubled it is, however wretched, people are afraid to end it. Hence, we should
see, we should consider, how much eternal life is to be loved, when this miserable
life that must at some time be ended is so loved. Consider, brothers, how much that
life is to be loved when it is a life you never end. You love this life, where you
work so much, run, are busy, pant. In this busy life, the obligations can scarcely
be counted: sowing, ploughing, working new land, sailing, grinding, cooking, and
weaving. And after all this hard work your life comes to an end. Look at what you
suffer in this wretched life that you so love. And do you think that you will always
live and never die? Temples, rocks, and marbles, all reinforced by iron and lead,
still fall. And a person thinks that he will never die? Learn, therefore, brothers,
to seek eternal life, when you will not endure these things but will reign with
God forever." (excerpt from SERMON 84.1.9)
“One thing”
“There
is one thing more you must do.” —Mark 10:21: In today’s Gospel passage, a rich man
asked what he must do to share in eternal life (Mk 10:17). He had done much, but
Jesus told him to do “one thing more” (Mk 10:21). That was the one thing standing
between himself and the eternal life he desired. That one thing more was to sell
what he possessed, give the proceeds to the poor and follow Jesus (Mk 10:21). This
the rich man could not do and he “went away sad” (Mk 10:22).
Through
His Word, God has given us much wisdom (Wis 7:7-11) to know what our one thing might
be. It behooves us, then, to be grounded in the Word of God. God’s Word is alive
(Heb 4:12). The Word convicts us (Heb 4:12-13) and brings constantly to our mind
one thing more God wants us to yield to Him.
Mary
of Bethany found the one thing Jesus wanted her to do: to sit at His feet and listen
to His Word (see Lk 10:39). Jesus approved Mary’s action and confirmed it by saying:
“one thing only is required” (Lk 10:42).
“One
thing I ask of the Lord; this I seek: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the
days of my life, that I may gaze on the loveliness of the Lord and contemplate His
temple” (Ps 27:4). Give Jesus that one thing that separates you from following Him
completely.
Prayer: Lord
Jesus, take not just one thing from me, but take everything. Give me only Your love
and Your grace. “All gold, given [Wisdom], is a little sand, and before her,
silver is to be accounted mire.” —Wisdom 7:9. Risen Jesus, praise be to You, my
God and my All.
The
personal action for today: What comes to mind when I think of Wisdom? Do I seek Wisdom or strive to have wealth, fame, power, or beauty more? Am I willing to have the Word
of GOD (Debar YHWH) cut me to the quick and expose me and my
sinfulness before the eyes of GOD? At the same time, do I sense the loving embrace
of GOD Who accepts me for who I am? How can I strike a healthy balance between spending
time reflecting on the Word of GOD and actively putting the Word of GOD into action
in my everyday life?
Word of God, Speak by MercyMe: