Trong bài Tin Mừng hôm nay, chúng ta nghe nói rằng Chúa Giêsu đang trên đường hành trình rao giảng Tin Mừng. Ngài đã mời một người thanh niên giàu có dỡ bỏ kho báu của mình và theo Người. Nhưng người thanh niên này đã buồn bã và bỏ đi vì anh ta có rất nhiều của cải, tài sản quý giá mà anh ta không thể bỏ được. Chúa Giêsu tiếp tục cuộc hành trình mà không có anh ta.
Tôi nhớ câu chuyện mà bố mẹ tôi kể khi Cộng Sản Việt Nam nắm quyền cai trị miền Bắc Việt Nam và Việt Nam bị chia cắt thành 2 miền Nam Bắc vào năm 1954. Ông bà và bố mẹ tôi phải bỏ lại tất cả nhà cửa ruộng vườn và những gì họ đã bỏ công sức dành dụm và xây đắp hàng chục năm để ra đi tìm sự tự do. Họ đã phải bắt đầu từ con sộ không với hai bàn tay trắng để xây dựng một cuộc sống mới ở một vùng đất mới tự. Bên cạnh đó, nhiều người ở lại miền Bắc đã bị giết hại hay tù tội trong cuộc đấu tố giai cấp của cộng sản vì không muốn bỏ lại của cải và những gì họ có được.
Đối với tôi, để tìm được một cuộc sống mới và tự do tại đất nước này, tôi cũng đã phải hy sinh rất nhiều thứ. Người thanh niên trong bài Tin mừng hôm nay, chúng ta biết anh ta rất thông minh và anh ta cũng rất giàu có. Tuy nhiên, anh ấy muốn nhiều hơn thế, anh ta muốn có cuộc sống vĩnh cửu; thế nhưng chẳng khác gì những người địa chủ miền bắc trước 1954 anh ta đã không thể đành lòng đánh đổi cuộc sống vĩnh cửu đó với mớ của cải, tiền bạc và gia tài anh hiện đang có. Đó là cái điều mà mà anh đang thiếu và cần phải cỏ có để vào nước Trời.
Tin Mừng Thánh Mathêu viết Chúa Giêsu nói: Ai yêu mến cha mẹ hơn ta, thì không xứng với ta. Ai yêu thích con cái của mình hơn ta, thì không xứng với ta ... (Mt 10,37). Và chúng ta có thể thêm câu nếu ai yêu thích của cải kho báu thế gian hơn ta, cho dù đó là tiền bạc, đất đai trang trại, nhà cửa, con cái hay cháu chắt, thì đều không xứng với ta.
Chúng ta thường biết rằng hầu hết người Công giáo thích xem ti vi một giờ hơn là thích cầu nguyện trong mười phút; Thích bỏ nhiều thời giở để đọc những cuốn tiểu thuyết hay hơn là một cuốn sách nhỏ nói về đức tin; nhiều người ở Mỹ có thể bay qua những các thành phố khác xa lắc xa lơ để xem một trận đấu bóng hơn là đi 1 dặm đường để đến nhà thờ; chúng ta có thể chi 50 đô la trong các quán rượu hoặc nhà hàng sang trọng mà không hề tiếc, nhưng lại tiếc rẻ khi bỏ 10 đô la vào giỏ tiền trong lễ Chủ nhật. Chúng ta không nói về những người xấu ở đây vì những người tốt cũng giống như chúng ta; nhưng có một thứ họ thiếu đó là họ chưa phát triển được mối quan hệ thích hợp giữa Chúa Kitô và túi tiền hay kho báu của họ.
Giống như người thanh niên trong bài Tin Mừng họ muốn có cuộc sống vĩnh cửu nhưng lại không muốn có phải hy sinh, bỏ lại những gì chúng ta đang có, đang hưởng thụ. Và cũng giống như người thanh niên giàu có kia đã phải cúi ầu buồn rầu ra đi. Thật đáng buồn! Cho người thanh niên ra đi với kho báu của mình.
Hôm nay Chúa Giêsu nói với chúng ta rằng chúng ta phải hoàn toàn tách mình ra khỏi những thứ vật chất để vào Nước Trời. Như ông nội của tôi đã nói: "Chúng ta không thể mang theo tài sản của mình khi chúng ta chết, cũng như những thứ trước thế gian của chúng ta." Khi trải qua cuộc đời chông gai theo thời gian, chúng ta thấy mình ngày càng có được nhiều của cải vật chất hơn. nhưng khi cận kề cái chết, chúng ta mới biết ra rằng chúng ta phải cần phải tách mình ra khỏi tất cả những thứ đó, vì chúng ta không thể mang theo chúng. Giai đoạn cuối cùng của cuộc đời thi chúng ta cũng phải buông bỏ.
Sự giàu có của chúng ta hiện tại là trung lập về mặt đạo đức; nó không tốt cũng không xấu, nhưng chính đó những gì chúng ta cần phải làm cho giàu có thì chúng ta mới đưa mình đến gần với thiêb Chúa và nước Trời.
Trong câu chuyện Tin Mừng hôm nay, chúng ta không chê người thanh niên giàu có nhiều của cải. Tuy nhiên, điều mà Chúa Giêsu đang chỉ cho chúng ta thấy là sự giàu có của người thanh niên này đã ngăn cản anh ta hoàn toàn tiếp nhận Tin Mừng và nước Trời. Vì thế thái độ của chúng ta mới là vấn đề quan trọng.
- Wisdom 7:7-11; Hebrews 4:12-13; Mark 10:17-30
In today, Gospel, we heard that Jesus is setting out on a journey. He invites a man to unload his treasure and join him. But the man is sad because he has a lot of possessions which he loves very much. Jesus moves on without him.
I remember the story my dad told me when Ho Chi Minh and the Vietnamese Communists took control of the North VN and Vietnam was divided into 2 parts, North and South in 1954. My grandparents and parents had to leave everything they had, and everything they had saved for their lives: their houses, their farms, and took up a long journey to find their freedom. They built new lives in a new free land with empty hands, but they had freedom. Besides, many people in the North were killed because they did not want to leave their wealth.
For me, in order to find a new life and freedom here in this country, I had to sacrifice many things. For the man in the gospel today it was his wealth and it seems he was very wealthy. And yet, he wanted more. This man wanted eternal life; And he wanted to know from Jesus what he had to do to get it. Jesus loved him for that.
Jesus advised him: You know the commandments and then very obligingly listed a good number of them.
They became for the man a kind of list of achievements! Master, I have kept all these from my earliest days. Jesus recognized this man was serious about his salvation and responded: There is one thing you lack. Now surely, this is an earth-shattering challenge to the man and to all of us. It is the heart of the gospel passage this week “There is one thing you lack! “. What is it, precisely, that this man lacked? It is not a question of having wealth or not having wealth, rather it is our attitude towards it. And for us the lesson is clear. Our relationship with God must be our greatest, our prime relationship, and the one which gives meaning to all our other relationships.
When we come to think of it, our relationship with God is the one thing we take with us into the next life; all else will be left behind. Shouldn't we cultivate it while we can? The invitation and challenge are clear. Jesus is asking each one of us to give priority to God in our lives and to get rid of all that we love more than him, everything which prevents us from saying yes to his wonderful invitation: and then: come follow me. This Gospel message is reassuring but challenging. Sacrifice for the sake of the Kingdom is an essential requirement of those who wish to truly follow Christ. The Christian follows a difficult path in life but it is a journey with a destination.
And the destination is nothing other than the Kingdom of Heaven. As we continue with this Mass, let's renew our commitment to seeking the treasure that lasts forever, and let's ask our Lord Jesus to help us.
28th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year B
“This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.” Luke 11:29–30
Do you ever find yourself looking for signs from God? Often when we go through life, navigating through the ups and downs we all experience, we can easily find ourselves looking for signs from God about what we should do about this or that. And though God certainly communicates to us at times through special graces that are signs from Heaven, the passage above gives clarity to what sign we must be most attentive to.
The simple message in this Gospel passage from our Lord is that we must discover the meaning of the most profound sign ever given and use that as the foundation of all our decisions in life. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection were not only the source of eternal life, they are also the clearest sign we need as we make all of our decisions in life.
A sign is some action that reveals a deep and hidden mystery. One mystery that Jesus’ life, death and resurrection reveals is that if we are to share in the new life won for us by His Cross, then we must follow the example He set by living a life of selfless sacrifice, laying down our lives for others, so that they will discover and embrace the new life of Christ’s Resurrection. Practically speaking, if you find yourself looking for answers in life, seeking signs from God about what you should do at times, then turn your eyes to the life of Christ and ponder ways in which you can more fully imitate His life in every daily practical decision you make. This is true whether you are discerning some important decision in life or some small practical decision.
It is common to engage in such a discernment by looking at ourselves in a more selfish way. It’s difficult to move away from this line of thinking, but if we are to use the “sign” of the Son of Man, then we will discern our life decisions very differently. When we use the life, death and resurrection of our Lord as the source of our discernment and decision making in life, then we will end up making decisions that imitate His selfless sacrifice of love. So if you are faced with a decision, you will not ponder what is easier or what you prefer; rather, you will ponder what is more selfless and best for others. What is it that best imitates the sacrificial love of Jesus?
Reflect, today, upon any decision you are trying to make. Then reflect upon how you are going about this decision. Do you use the witness Jesus gave to us as the foundation of your discernment? Do you reflect upon how you can lay your life down as a sacrificial gift for others? Do you look at love from the point of view of the Cross of our Lord and strive to imitate His glorious and selfless dedication to the salvation of those whom He loves? Seek to imitate our Lord, using the witness of His actions as the foundation of all of your discernment and decisions in life, and you will have discovered the only true sign you need to navigate the challenges of life.
My perfect Lord, every decision You made in life was made out of love and was in accord with the perfect will of the Father. Give me the grace I need to make every decision in life in imitation of Your perfect example. May my life imitate You as You laid down Your life for others. I choose You and Your glorious sacrificial life as the sign by which I am directed in life. Jesus, I trust in You.
Opening Prayer: Lord God, you do not promise me an easy life. However, you do offer the promise of eternal life. I will give up everything and follow your Son. Help me to know today what is holding me back and what I am attached to that keeps me from the path that leads to life.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Parables as Riddles: Jesus used many different types of parables. Some of Jesus’ parables were narrative stories, others were thought-provoking sayings, and still others were puzzles or riddles. Jesus liked to use riddles to reveal and conceal the mystery of the Kingdom and the mystery of his divinity (Pitre, Jesus and Divine Christology, 112). In the Gospel, a rich man asked Jesus what he must do to obtain eternal life (Mark 10:17) and be raised from the dead at the final judgment (Daniel 12:2). In response, Jesus insisted first on two points: first, profess the goodness of the one God of Israel and, second, keep the commandments to have eternal life. Jesus then added a third requirement: the rich man must sell his possessions, give the money to the poor, and follow Jesus. When Jesus says that there is only one who is good, he does not deny that he is God. Rather, he is using a riddle meant to lead the rich man to the realization of who Jesus really is (Pitre, Jesus and Divine Christology, 136). If the rich man truly loves God, then he will give up his money and follow Jesus, the incarnate Son of God.
2. Compared to Wisdom, Gold is like Sand: The First Reading, taken from the Book of Wisdom, compares having wisdom to having riches. The passage recalls King Solomon’s prayer for wisdom. The wisdom Solomon had in his youth was not something he achieved through study and his own efforts but was a gift from God. The youthful Solomon loved wisdom more than power – he “preferred her to scepters and thrones.” Great wealth was nothing in comparison to wisdom. Power, riches, gems, and health are all good things, but they pale in comparison to wisdom. In comparison with wisdom, gold is like sand, and silver is like clay. Solomon not only received the spirit of wisdom from God but he was blessed with many other good things. “Solomon’s riches, power, and enjoyment of life all derived from wisdom” (Giszczak, Wisdom of Solomon, 85). Wisdom is a source of heavenly riches, servant authority, and true happiness.
3. The Word of God is Sharper than a Sword: In the Second Reading, the Letter to the Hebrews is encouraging its readers to not be like the people of Israel in the desert. Unlike the people of Israel who refused to enter into the Promised Land and feared that they would “fall by the sword” if they followed the Lord into Canaan (Numbers 14:3), we are to strive to enter into God’s eternal rest and not fall short due to disobedience to God’s living and active Word. God’s Word is sharper than a physical sword. A physical sword can only bring about physical death. The “divine word is more lethal still, for it can bring eternal death and destruction” (Hebrews 10:26-31) (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, 421). Nothing will be hidden from God’s judgment, which can discern our deepest thoughts and intentions.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, penetrate the depths of my heart, soul, and spirit. Expose any evil thoughts or intentions. Heal them with your grace, transform me to be like you, and fill me with your Spirit of Wisdom.
A few years ago a great movie came out starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson called The Bucket List. Perhaps you saw it. Two men who were dying but in temporary remission, one of whom was very rich, decided to make out a list of the things they wanted to do before they died. It was really a great movie, even though we Catholics would have far more important things to write on your lists, the type of actions that would help us grow in closer union to God. Still, there was an extremely beautiful scene in the movie. The Jack Nicholson character made the huge step and was reconciled with his daughter with whom he had been estranged for years. Then she showed him his little five year old grand-daughter. He gave her a hug and a kiss. When he left the house, he crossed off, “Kiss the most beautiful girl in the world.”
The Bucket List has led a lot of us to consider the things we want to do and need to do in our lives. It also reminds us of some other lists we need to compile. Even though we have had an easy hurricane season this year, at least so far, we all should have a list of what we would need to take with us if we had to evacuate. It should also be prioritized. People first, obviously, then the materials we would have the hardest time replacing, important papers, etc, and of course, those reminders of our past. Actually, in this computer age, many of us would probably include a removal hard drive.
The question today’s readings ask us is simply, “What are the most important things on our lists?” In the first reading, Solomon responds to the invitation by God to ask for anything in return for his constructing the Temple in Jerusalem. To the surprise of many, Solomon doesn’t ask for riches. He asks for wisdom. Next to wisdom, he says, gold and silver are like mud. But when he possesses wisdom, the Wisdom of God, everything else comes to Him.
The rich man in the Gospel reading is asked about his list. This is a good man. Jesus looked at the man and loved him. The man who came up to Jesus and knelt down, was really serious when he asked. “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” He wasn’t trying to test Jesus, or catch him between two issues like the people who asked Jesus if it was right to pay tax to Caesar. Those people knew that Jesus would get into trouble no matter what he said. He wasn’t like the people who asked Jesus about eternal life. They were trying to involve Jesus in the battle between the Sadducees who said there was no such thing as life after death and the Pharisees who said that there was eternal life. No, the man in today’s Gospel was sincere. He really wanted to have God’s life. He told Jesus he had kept the commandments all his life. Jesus knew he had. That’s why He looked at him and loved him.
Then Jesus asked him what was on the top of his list. Following the Lord had to be more important than any of his possessions. Jesus offered him treasure in heaven. What He said to the man shocked him. It left the man in turmoil. Jesus told him to sell everything he had and give it to the poor, and then follow Him. Jesus was offering the man a place among his closest disciples. The man wasn’t ready for this. He was surprised, perplexed and dismayed.
What is on your list? What is on my list? What is there that we could not live without? What is on that list that would leave us devastated if it were destroyed? If it is anything other than the lives of others, the presence of God in their lives and the Presence of God in our lives, or, simply, the Kingdom of God, then we really don’t understand what it means to be a Christian, to be a Catholic.
Catholics, Christians are right now sitting in the cells of horrible prisons throughout the world. Some have lost everything they owned and are waiting to lose their lives. Others have refused to sacrifice Christian for the sake of advancing in business and are living far more frugally than some of their workmates, yet all, those standing for truth in jail and those standing for truth in the rat race of business are living as rich people. They possess all that matters in life, the Presence of Jesus Christ. At the other end of the spectrum, there are some who are living miserably in mansions, surrounded by every type of unfathomably expensive items, paintings, sculptures, with the best vehicles in their garages and a huge ship waiting for them in some Caribbean port, but they are not happy because none of the possessions they spent their lives acquiring can give them happiness.
“Our hearts are made for you, O Lord, and shall not rest until they rest in you.” St. Augustine in his Confessions.
The readings today really hit us to the core of our lives. They ask us to consider where we find meaning in life. Scripture does that to us, doesn’t it? The second reading from Hebrews 4 says that the Word of God is a two-edged sword, by that it means one that is very sharp and very strong. It cuts into us and uncovers the thoughts, reflections and desires of our hearts.
All of us want to be happy. All of us want to live lives of meaning. All of us want to finish our physical lives united to God. To do all this we need to keep the priorities of life straight. God and His Presence in others must be first. His love must grow. His Word must envelope the world. If we allow that to happen, God Himself will take care of the rest of our needs. Solomon said that along with wisdom, all good things came to him. Jesus promises that those who live only for His sake and the sake of the Gospel will receive a hundred times more than they gave up in this age and eternal life in the next.
So what is on our lists, be they our bucket lists, or our evacuation lists, or our hope lists?
The Word of God, that two-edged sword, asks us today to consider where we are seeking happiness
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