Ordinary 28

The Twenty-Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Wisdom 7:7-11; Psalm 90; Hebrews 4:12-13; Mark 10:17-30

John Veltri was a Jesuit spiritual director. He was assigned to me many years ago when on retreat in Guelph, Ontario. I was taken aback at our first meeting. He was more than straightforward. He was gruff, business – like even. Spiritual directors are welcoming, gracious and gentle listeners. He spoke with me briefly, handed me some pertinent articles to read and sent me off for the day. Our time together was limited.

It was only much later that I came to realize that even before he met me John had been given an insight, an awareness, a knowledge, if you will, by the Holy Spirit as to what personal issue I needed to deal with on that retreat. John was very much like Jesus who today is crisply abrupt.

Jesus is walking out the door setting out on a journey. A man runs up to him. He has questions. Jesus looks at his watch. Time is limited. Jesus quickly gets to the point.

Why do you call me good?

You know the commandments: Do not kill; do not commit adultery; etc., etc. You do these things? OK.

You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, give to the poor, follow me.

But the man could not take that ultimate step. Sadly, the man walked away from Jesus. Jesus meanwhile picked up his knapsack and headed in the other direction toward Jerusalem and the cross. In a similar way, John Veltri did not care what I thought about him. Being unaware of self–knowledge, John told me what I needed to struggle with and in essence said, “Deal with it”. He was to the point throughout the whole retreat.

What are our expectations of how God should deal with us? Do we expect that God is supposed to be gentle, coddle us, not ask too much of us? Is that your expectation?

As pastors we often deal with parishioners that way. Don’t challenge people too much. Don’t expect much. Don’t ruffle their feathers – lest the monies dry up or worse they leave. We act more like entrepreneurs than pastors. You know, the customer is always right. But you aren’t consumers, are you.

Don’t we at times need to be spoken to directly, brusquely and to the point? Don’t we need to be challenged, have our feathers ruffled? Aren’t we dealing with the crucial and critical issue of eternal life? And time is limited.

There is no reason to doubt the sincerity of the man or his question. He is seeking wisdom, a gift of the Holy Spirit. Have you ever prayed for wisdom?

By the way, what is wisdom?

Wisdom, as the Word of God presents it, is the gift of knowing how to conduct our lives so as to attain true happiness. The wise person is the person who knows how to make the most of their life in the sense of discerning and pursuing what is ultimately important and worthy. Have we as yet ascertained what is worthy and important for eternal life?

Throughout the exchange, Jesus looks at the man with love. Thus Jesus does not condemn him. Rather Jesus directly confronts the man with his weakness. The man is being held captive by his possessions that prevent him from living the full life of the Kingdom of God. Jesus names that insidious imprisoning power of money, of consumerism, and then invites him into freedom. An invitation he regretfully refuses.

So, what possesses you and me? What captivates us?

Did you notice how the meaning of the word just changed? Captive, captivity has the connotation of confining us while captivates is something that fascinates, entices, is alluring to us. Remember the Eden garden story? The fruit was pleasing to the eyes and desirable for gaining wisdom, captivating Adam and Eve but once picked and eaten the fruit held them in captivity.

So, what possesses you and me? Do we know?

If not, how are we to go, sell what we have, give to the poor, and follow Jesus?

See, to be free in Christ we must freely give away what possesses us. But we must first be aware and acknowledge our capacity. Like the man we can be unaware of our captivity and even when confronted by it not accept the truth of being held in slavery.

So, through whom does the Spirit speak to you with a straightforward love, yet pointedly, gruffly, and abruptly, that you may inherit eternal life?