MAY TODAY'S EUCHARISTIC CELEBRATION ENRICH YOU WITH THE STRONG FAITH NEEDED TO TAKE A BOLD STEP TOWARDS GIVING-UP WHATEVER THAT HAMPERS OUR DEEP COMMUNION WITH GOD, AND THEN GROW IN INTIMACY WITH HIM. HAPPY SUNDAY! +JOHN I. OKOYE
DOCTRINE AND FAITH
(Wisdom 7,7-11; Hebrew 4, 12-13; Mark 10, 17-30; 28th Sunday: Year B)
Today’s first reading praises the loftiness of wisdom. Wisdom, here, personified as a woman, is praised as a priceless treasure beyond compare. Within the Israelite Tradition, wisdom is understood in three ways: empirical wisdom; theological wisdom; and wisdom that is associated with the cosmos. Empirical wisdom, which is akin to prudence, is gained through thoughtful reflection on life experiences. Theological wisdom is like the first, but it presumes that the reflection has been guided by religious principles, and the insights gained are in accord with the religious tradition. The wisdom associated with the cosmos originates in a realization that the real answers to life cannot be achieved merely through reflection on experience. Only God understands the ultimate meaning of reality. However, God might bestow wisdom of this sort on those who ask for it. She was indeed granted to the speaker of this first reading who is depicted as a king and who prayed for wisdom. Presumably it was the kind of wisdom that would enable him to rule judiciously. He proclaims that he preferred her to riches, to health, to beauty, to everything that women and men normally cherish. Of all the wonders life has and offers, in his eyes wisdom is the most precious treasure. In fact, in comparison with her, other riches are of little value.
In the second reading the word of God is extolled for both its creative and its juridical force. It is living and effective because it is the expression of the God who is living and effective. As performative speech it accomplishes what it describes; as juridical speech it passes judgment on what it discovers. God’s word is incisive and probing, sharper than a sword that cuts both ways. It can pierce the inner recesses of a person, cutting cleanly between souls and spirit and body, penetrating the most secret thoughts of the heart. The word realizes what it set off to do, and it enhances the life-giving reality it discovers and condemns whatever is unauthentic. Everything that is stands open before this great God.
The gospel reading presents the incident of a young man who approached Jesus demanding to be told what he was to do to inherit eternal life. The initial exchange between Jesus and the rich man raises an important theological question: Can one gain eternal life, or is it a gift from God? The man’s question implies that he believes that he can do something to deserve eternal life. Jesus’ response about obeying the law indicates that a particular way of living is indeed required of those who desire eternal life. The man is not putting Jesus to the test; he has approached him with, great respect. This is an honest and upright man, one who has been observant from his youth but who realizes that there is still something missing in his life. Jesus recognizes this goodness, and he loves him (agapao). The detailed description of the man’s goodness is important in order to show that even the righteous find it difficult to respond to the radical demands of discipleship. The man could not renounce his riches. Jesus uses this specific case to make a general statement that shocked even his disciples. He uses a graphic example to illustrate how hard it is for those who are encumbered to squeeze through a narrow opening. Nowhere in his teaching does Jesus say that wealth is bad. In fact, riches were considered an indication of divine favor and a reward for piety. Jesus is claiming that they can be a diversion from the real goal of life, a hindrance to entrance into the reign of God. The power and security they provide can obscure the need to trust in God. Jesus admits that this is a hard saying. His response is probably the key to understanding the entire passage. While those who wish to inherit eternal life are bound to the commandments, only divine grace can enable them to enter the reign of God. While they must live lives of moral integrity, they must rely completely on God. Peter uses the rich man’s failure to renounce his wealth and follow Jesus to point out the commitment of the disciples. They have done precisely what the other was unable to do. Jesus responds by outlining the reward they can expect. Those who have given up the security of family and property, the basis of identity in the ancient world, will receive a new kind of security, a new family and identity grounded in faith in Jesus. However, this alternative form of relationships and this new set of values not based on material goods will threaten the general social patterns and the values that are in place. Because they are a challenge, the disciples will be criticized and attacked. Thus the real cost of discipleship is personal renunciation and persecution by others.
This Sunday’s readings confront us with the need to make choices in life, choices for God. They also remind us that no significant choice is without its price. However, if we make the right choices, we are assured that we will be richly rewarded. Do we want power or riches or beauty, or even health? These are all good, but will they really satisfy the deepest yearnings of our heart? To choose one option is to relinquish the others. The young man wanted eternal life. Surely there is nothing more worthy than that. However, the price he was asked to pay was more than he had expected, and he went away saddened. He was neither insulted nor frustrated because he could not get what he desired. He was saddened, because what he really wanted he now discovered would exact a heavy cost. To choose is to face the consequences of the word of God, and sometimes this is as sharp as a two-edged sword. One of the mysteries of faith is the incomprehensible generosity of God. We choose wisdom instead of all of the good things of the world, and we receive these good things along with wisdom itself. We are asked to relinquish all of the things we value, and we get them back a hundredfold. We are asked to make these choices in faith. We can never be sure of the outcome until we make the choice and we see what happens. We are invited to take a step into the unknown. We are told that we will not fall. However, we are never sure of this until we take the step and discover that we have not fallen. Or if we do fall, we are not really hurt. Perhaps the faith needed to make the choice also supplies us with the ability to see everything as a hundredfold blessing. God demands so much but gives so much more. May we, therefore, ask God in today’s holy Mass to give us the wisdom that would enable us tallow the word of God transform our hearts and make correct choices in life generously and in deep faith in God. Happy Sunday! + John I. Okoye
Today’s first reading praises the loftiness of wisdom. Wisdom, here, personified as a woman, is praised as a priceless treasure beyond compare. Within the Israelite Tradition, wisdom is understood in three ways: empirical wisdom; theological wisdom; and wisdom that is associated with the cosmos. Empirical wisdom, which is akin to prudence, is gained through thoughtful reflection on life experiences. Theological wisdom is like the first, but it presumes that the reflection has been guided by religious principles, and the insights gained are in accord with the religious tradition. The wisdom associated with the cosmos originates in a realization that the real answers to life cannot be achieved merely through reflection on experience. Only God understands the ultimate meaning of reality. However, God might bestow wisdom of this sort on those who ask for it. She was indeed granted to the speaker of this first reading who is depicted as a king and who prayed for wisdom. Presumably it was the kind of wisdom that would enable him to rule judiciously. He proclaims that he preferred her to riches, to health, to beauty, to everything that women and men normally cherish. Of all the wonders life has and offers, in his eyes wisdom is the most precious treasure. In fact, in comparison with her, other riches are of little value.
In the second reading the word of God is extolled for both its creative and its juridical force. It is living and effective because it is the expression of the God who is living and effective. As performative speech it accomplishes what it describes; as juridical speech it passes judgment on what it discovers. God’s word is incisive and probing, sharper than a sword that cuts both ways. It can pierce the inner recesses of a person, cutting cleanly between souls and spirit and body, penetrating the most secret thoughts of the heart. The word realizes what it set off to do, and it enhances the life-giving reality it discovers and condemns whatever is unauthentic. Everything that is stands open before this great God.
The gospel reading presents the incident of a young man who approached Jesus demanding to be told what he was to do to inherit eternal life. The initial exchange between Jesus and the rich man raises an important theological question: Can one gain eternal life, or is it a gift from God? The man’s question implies that he believes that he can do something to deserve eternal life. Jesus’ response about obeying the law indicates that a particular way of living is indeed required of those who desire eternal life. The man is not putting Jesus to the test; he has approached him with, great respect. This is an honest and upright man, one who has been observant from his youth but who realizes that there is still something missing in his life. Jesus recognizes this goodness, and he loves him (agapao). The detailed description of the man’s goodness is important in order to show that even the righteous find it difficult to respond to the radical demands of discipleship. The man could not renounce his riches. Jesus uses this specific case to make a general statement that shocked even his disciples. He uses a graphic example to illustrate how hard it is for those who are encumbered to squeeze through a narrow opening. Nowhere in his teaching does Jesus say that wealth is bad. In fact, riches were considered an indication of divine favor and a reward for piety. Jesus is claiming that they can be a diversion from the real goal of life, a hindrance to entrance into the reign of God. The power and security they provide can obscure the need to trust in God. Jesus admits that this is a hard saying. His response is probably the key to understanding the entire passage. While those who wish to inherit eternal life are bound to the commandments, only divine grace can enable them to enter the reign of God. While they must live lives of moral integrity, they must rely completely on God. Peter uses the rich man’s failure to renounce his wealth and follow Jesus to point out the commitment of the disciples. They have done precisely what the other was unable to do. Jesus responds by outlining the reward they can expect. Those who have given up the security of family and property, the basis of identity in the ancient world, will receive a new kind of security, a new family and identity grounded in faith in Jesus. However, this alternative form of relationships and this new set of values not based on material goods will threaten the general social patterns and the values that are in place. Because they are a challenge, the disciples will be criticized and attacked. Thus the real cost of discipleship is personal renunciation and persecution by others.
This Sunday’s readings confront us with the need to make choices in life, choices for God. They also remind us that no significant choice is without its price. However, if we make the right choices, we are assured that we will be richly rewarded. Do we want power or riches or beauty, or even health? These are all good, but will they really satisfy the deepest yearnings of our heart? To choose one option is to relinquish the others. The young man wanted eternal life. Surely there is nothing more worthy than that. However, the price he was asked to pay was more than he had expected, and he went away saddened. He was neither insulted nor frustrated because he could not get what he desired. He was saddened, because what he really wanted he now discovered would exact a heavy cost. To choose is to face the consequences of the word of God, and sometimes this is as sharp as a two-edged sword. One of the mysteries of faith is the incomprehensible generosity of God. We choose wisdom instead of all of the good things of the world, and we receive these good things along with wisdom itself. We are asked to relinquish all of the things we value, and we get them back a hundredfold. We are asked to make these choices in faith. We can never be sure of the outcome until we make the choice and we see what happens. We are invited to take a step into the unknown. We are told that we will not fall. However, we are never sure of this until we take the step and discover that we have not fallen. Or if we do fall, we are not really hurt. Perhaps the faith needed to make the choice also supplies us with the ability to see everything as a hundredfold blessing. God demands so much but gives so much more. May we, therefore, ask God in today’s holy Mass to give us the wisdom that would enable us tallow the word of God transform our hearts and make correct choices in life generously and in deep faith in God. Happy Sunday! + John I. Okoye
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