Stand before Jesus
Imagine standing in front of Jesus. He looks at you with love and asks, “what do you want me to do for you?” How would you respond? What do you truly want from the Lord?
As we read the Sunday gospels this month, pay attention to the way Jesus responds to each person. He hears what they want and gives them what they need - guidance, humility, healing, understanding.
When we pray, we stand before the Lord who looks at us with love. Entering into a time of prayer knowing that God is there, loving us in that moment and in every moment, we can risk being honest with God and with ourselves. In prayer, we bring our desires to God, and in doing so, we reveal to ourselves how aligned we are with God and God’s ways. We may come with something that troubles us or a situation that we hope will change. We may come asking for something - trivial or life-altering, and we listen, opening our heart and mind to find what we need.
With an open heart
At the end of the month, we hear the account of a scribe who approached Jesus, asking which is the first of all the commandments. While other Jewish leaders tried to trick Jesus with questions, this scribe came with a true desire for understanding. The dialogue between Jesus and the scribe (Mk 12:28b-34) is truly remarkable. In his response to the scribe, Jesus wove together the essential elements of Jewish teaching: God is one. Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Love your neighbor as yourself. The scribe grasped Jesus’ response as divine wisdom and Jesus recognized the scribe’s understanding, saying, “you are not far from the kingdom of God.”
This is what it is like to be in communion with Christ, to be in perfect alignment with God and God’s ways. The scribe had not only studied sacred scripture, assenting to the faith with his mind, he had opened his heart to its true meaning and was of one heart with the Lord.
It’s possible
It may seem that only the saints live so close to the kingdom of God. Yet we are all called to be saints, to grow in holiness so that we are of one heart with the Lord.
On our own, we stumble over the obstacles that block the path of faithfulness. We want to follow Jesus but, like the man with many possessions, we may walk away when discipleship calls us to leave our former selves behind.
We do not do this alone. We rely on the inspiration and strength of the Holy Spirit, the presence of Christ in the nourishment of the Eucharist, and the forgiveness, peace, and restoration found in the sacrament of penance. With God, it is possible to find salvation, perfect communion with Christ and one another, the joy of discipleship.
Jesus looks at you with love and asks, “what do you want me to do for you?” Take a moment now to return Jesus’ gaze. Open your heart to him. All things are possible for God.
Are you weighed down? Let it go. Be free.
“Children, 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.”
Anyone who has moved from a long-time home can likely relate to the man whose story we hear in the gospel on October 13. We seem to acquire material possessions without thinking. Then we prepare to move, and find all that stuff we have not used in years (or ever). We face a decision: will we pack the stuff and move it with us, knowing it may never come out of the box, or will we give it away, knowing someone else may truly need it, and feel free in the giving?
Jesus looked on the man with love, told him to give what he had to the poor, and then to follow him. Jesus knew that in letting go, the man would be set free. The man went away sad. He was weighed down by his many possessions. Many of us, like the man in today’s gospel, are burdened by the pursuit of worldly things. Much of our days and weeks is spent trying to get ahead, to have all the things we want, thinking that in the things, we will find security and freedom. Jesus uses the outlandish image of a camel passing through the eye of the needle to illustrate how burdened we may become.
In the kingdom of heaven, no one is weighed down. No one is poor. All are free to live as God’s children. All know, find meaning and security in, and share God’s love.
As people committed to grow as good stewards, we learn to trust in God, seeking purpose in his will. We grow closer to the Lord, leading us to desire what God desires. As stewards, we learn to more prudently discern the way we spend our time and money. Less weighed down by possessions or the striving for them, we are free to accept the kingdom of God like a child and live as Christ’s own in the world.
Are you burdened by financial concerns, physical difficulties, mental or emotional illness? When things are hard, remember that Christ looks on you with love and is ready to set you free.
What weighs you down? As Jesus looks into your life and heart with love, what does he see? Is much of your time focused on the things you want or on gaining financial wealth? Do you find yourself eying the possessions of a friend or neighbor with envy? Do you find yourself consumed by a Pinterest image or someone else’s seemingly perfect Instagram account?
Learn from the man in the gospel. Are you weighed down? Don’t be possessed by your possessions. Let go of all that stands between you and the life Jesus desires for you. Be free.