First Reading: Ws 7:7-11; Psalm: 90. R. v. 14; Second Reading: Hb 4:12-13; Gospel: Mk 10:17-30

TRUST AND FOLLOW

BY FR VALENTINE NNAMDI EGBUONU, MSP

One noticeable fact about the rich man in our gospel of today is that he is a good person. He is better off compared to many of us, in that he has reached a standard that many are still scuffling to reach but still lacking. He has kept all the commandments of which Christ acknowledged with love. Now, he needs to go a step further having attained the first precondition for eternal life. In our journey to heaven, Christ would always demand more from us once we’ve attained a certain feat of what is required of a disciple. This is how saints are made. Christ then said to him “go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” At this point, the rich man was not courageous enough to go any further, for he was a man of much wealth.

Some biblical commentators have argued that the refusal of this rich man to take the next step is not so much about generosity and detachment but more about trust and security. As a man of much wealth, he knows what he enjoys and is unsure if Christ could offer him a better alternative if he chooses to follow him. From the ordinary experience of life, wealth offers some earthly security like food, shelter, health insurance, and some protection. It also commands some respect and prestige. To not depend on his wealth hence frightens him. Much as he wants eternal life, he fails to trust in God who offers the very gift that he seeks. Keeping the commandments is one thing, but to lose oneself in God in faith and trust God is completely a different thing.

What Christ asks of us in this story is to trust in him when we must let go of certain things in life that holds us down. We are very much inclined to hold on to what we presently have than risk hoping on what is yet to come. But faith trusts and hopes. And to us who believe, hope does not disappoint (Rm 5:5). What Christ is prepared to offer us in this life and in the life to come is nothing compared to what we presently have. But we need to trust Christ enough to let go of the things that holds us down; things that might appear too attractive and pleasurable to give up.

Detachment becomes only difficult when we don’t trust God enough. This is why some priests are scared to be moved to a new place of assignment for fear of losing the comfort of their present place. This is why we fear to end a manipulative relationship because we feel we may not find someone who will love us better. This is why we are scared to be generous because we are overly anxious of the needs of tomorrow. What we are presently holding on to could be occupying the space for something greater to come. When we give it up, we create room for God to bless us again.  

Every sacrifice we make for the good of one another and for the sake of the gospel will surely be rewarded. But we need to trust in Christ’s invitation to make these sacrifices. When the disciples saw how the rich man walked away and what Christ said about the danger of riches, they became more inquisitive about the reward of the choice they made. Peter said, “Behold we have left everything and followed you.” In other words, Peter was asking; what then is our reward? In reply, Christ re-echoes a truth that should serve as a source of encouragement to us. There is no one who has made sacrifices for his sake and the gospels, who will not be rewarded a hundredfold. What other security is greater than this?

Although the rich man failed to take the next step; but nevertheless, he was a good person who probably is ahead of most of us. He has kept all the commandments. So, we need to start from there, for that is the first step in attaining eternal life. But then we must not also forget that Jesus wanted him to do more. There is no complacency in our journey towards heaven. We cannot stop at a good deed or begin to feel that we have reached our plateau in doing the will of God. God will always demand more from us. Not that God is selfish, but it is for our good. If the rich man had taken the next step, then he would need to do more by choosing to follow Jesus. And if he chose to follow Jesus, this would mean another journey that along the way would require him to make more choices.

We are called to carry on from where the rich man stopped. We need to love more, care more, give more, forgive more, pray more, and depend more on God. But we cannot do this without having absolute trust in Christ who invites us daily to do more. To have this trust is necessary because on this journey of following Christ, we can never stop doing more.   

PRAYER FOR THE DAY

Lord Jesus, as we follow you daily as disciples of the gospel; help us to trust you enough to respond to your daily invitations. Amen.