Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading I
Wis 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.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 90:12-13, 14-15, 16-17

R. (14) Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
Make us glad, for the days when you afflicted us,
for the years when we saw evil.
R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
Let your work be seen by your servants
and your glory by their children;
and may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours;
prosper the work of our hands for us!
Prosper the work of our hands!
R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!

Reading II
Heb 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
Mk 10:17-30 or 10:17-27

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."

Commentary

In the First Reading, King Solomon’s prayer has been answered and he receives prudence (another term for wisdom).  As part of his reward for seeking wisdom instead of earthly riches, Solomon received the very elements he left behind in pursuit of wisdom: gold and silver, health, beauty, and his long reign of 40 years.  The king did not realize, as he abandoned earthly desires, that wisdom was also the cause of earthly delights.  It is clear here that wisdom is another expression for God.

The two verses that comprise today’s Second Reading continue to warn the reader to persevere for the Word of God judges rightly, since nothing can be kept from God.  God’s Word speaks to human beings, inviting them to a life of belief and perseverance.  It is a saving Word, but also one that judges, since it condemns those who refuse to hear it.  The Word is also efficacious – ti produces life and achieves its purpose.

The most important teaching from today’s Gospel Reading is that wealth can be an obstacle to discipleship and that the rewards of discipleship are infinitely greater than the sacrifices.  Jesus is an extremely demanding person.  The prospective disciple approaches Jesus wants everlasting life (a synonym for the kingdom of God), and Jesus challenges him beyond his capacity.  The young man is reminded of the commandments with a list that is taken mainly from the second part of the Decalogue (Exod 20:12-17; Deut 5:16-21), which deals with human relationships.  The “love” that Jesus had for the young man was based on the man’s genuine efforts and success at observing the commandments.  This love issues in the call to discipleship.

The call to “go, sell what you have, and give to the poor” caused astonishment among the people and his disciples because in Judaism wealth was often taken as a sign of divine favor with an obligation to give alms to the poor.  What was so hard in this man’s case was the invitation to forgo even the privilege of almsgiving for the sake of sharing in Jesus’ life-style of dependence on God while proclaiming the coming of his kingdom.  The amazement stems from Jesus’ reversal of the idea that riches are a sign of divine favor.  Jesus’ reply to the question: “then who can be saved?” emphasizes the power of God and the reliance on him as the only ways to salvation.  Not even the renunciation of wealth by itself enough to guarantee salvation.  Peter’s statement: “we have left all things and followed you” tries to contrast the reaction of the disciples with that of the young man.  Behind this statement is actually the question, What is the reward for accepting the challenge of discipleship?  Discipleship necessarily involves persecution and suffering.

Reflection

As Director of Religious Education at my parish, I have had the immense pleasure and opportunity of working with thousands of families.  Many of the parents have a great desire for their children to learn more about the person of Jesus and about our faith.  These parents have worked with me and with the volunteers from our parish so that together we can transmit our faith to their children.  Many times, I also run in to parents who don’t share the same concern.  Don’t get me wrong, they’re good and honest parents who care for their children and work tirelessly to provide for their family.  Unfortunately, they’ve lost sight of what’s important; they have become “attached” to things that eventually draw them away from the path to God.

Today’s Gospel presents us with an example of this same type of person.  The rich man wants to follow Jesus but wants to hold onto his possessions and gain everlasting life (God’s kingdom) without having to choose between the two.  Jesus brings him back to reality telling him he can’t have it both ways.  It’s not the fact that the young man is rich that is problematic, it’s that he’s so concerned about what he has that he fails to see the greater picture – the needs of others.  You see, Jesus’ command was to “sell and give”, meaning we must stop thinking of ourselves and begin to think of others – it is a giving entirely of ourselves which means putting aside our own needs and wants.  When we look at the today’s Gospel in this light, then it becomes clear that Jesus was not just talking about money or riches or other possessions.  Anything that can be an obstacle to our following Christ wholeheartedly must be discarded.

There is no mistaking that the person who thinks that he/she is self sufficient also believes that they don’t need God.  The power they have obtained, the riches they can count, or the status and notoriety that they enjoy can be reason to keep from giving the praise to God.  How many times have we heard someone say that they work so hard for what they have or say: “you wouldn’t believe what it cost me to get to where I am” or “I deserve it”?  There’s no lack of praise for themselves but little (if any) praise and thanks to the God who made it all possible.  Maybe we’ve done the same thing.  And then there’s the constant pursuit of gratification that is so well exploited by our consumer based society.  We’re constantly being told that we need this or that, or that a particular thing is what’s going to give us the pleasure we want.  Maybe what we need to get rid of (sell and give) is our attachment to drugs or alcohol, lust and pornography, greed, and sloth.  None of this means we’re bad people or that we’re not loved by God, but just like the young rich man in the Gospel, it can become a very difficult choice to make.  If we choose God, this means probable ridicule, persecution, and hardship and the eventual reward may not be attained in this world.  If I hold on to those things I want or think I need and continue to gratify myself, the reward is immediate.  Which do I choose?

Biblical Sources

New American Bible; Brown, R. K., and Comfort, P. W. (trans.) and Douglas, J. D., (ed.) “The New Greek-English Interlinear New Testament”; United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; Wright, A. G., SS “Commentaries, Wisdom”; Attridge, H. W., "Hebrews"; Bruce, F. F., "The Epistle to the Hebrews"; Kingsbury, J. D., “The Christology of Mark’s Gospel”; Schweizer, E., “The Good News According to Mark”; Tuckett, C. (ed.), “The Messianic Secret”; “The Collegeville Bible Commentary”; Brown, Raymond E., S.S., “Introduction to the New Testament”; Brown, Fitzmyer, and Murphy (ed.) “The New Jerome Biblical Commentary”.

Reflection by

Deacon Lazaro J. Ulloa