B Cycle – 28^th Sunday in Ordinary Time 24

Mk. 10: 17-30

The words of Jesus were and continue to be challenging for us to incorporate into our lives.  Jesus made statements that can be contrary to our own sense of what it takes to be pleasing to God.  A good example was when Jesus has said “…if we believe we have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16).  The challenge is obvious. We do believe while at the same time we have doubts because we know we have sinned.  If Jesus by His death and resurrection paid the penalty of our sins, then our respond to that act must impact how we live our lives.  It demands a response that flows from a heart filled with thanksgiving.  

Of course, we believe Jesus died for our sins and we profess that each Sunday.  Belief in what Jesus’s death for our sins is the foundation of our faith.  God’s plan for our redemption was that Jesus would be the sacrificial lamb for the sins of all.  One sacrifice for all time, so that we might live as God intended. 

But our human nature overrides our faith, and we fail to embrace what is extremely hard for us to accept – that salvation is a gift not a reward for good behavior.  We fail to surrender to God’s grace, and we ignore what God has provided as our source of a lived response for what Jesus did for us.  What is required of us is not blind obedience of belief but a belief in what God wants to do within us.  Unfortunately, our human nature tells us we are undeserving and reveals how doubt and uncertainty lives within us. 

Our response is to please God by our own strict obedience to laws and to adhere to external actions we believe are pleasing to God.  The problem is those things are not what God desires of us.  We must keep in mind the example of the Pharisees of whom Jesus said, “…these people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” (Mk. 7:6).  Obedience is not surrendering it keeps us in control.  We can have the willpower to adhere to a defined set of boundaries. 

But to give God our hearts require a willingness to allow something else to guide us and that does not come from us but from God.  Who promised us we would be given all we need to not allow our sinfulness to undermine our ability to become ardent believers.  If you do not believe that is possible, just read the acts of the apostles.   

It is easy for us to acknowledge a belief in God and in Jesus Christ.  We see this belief of ours in the actions of the “rich young man” in todays gospel.  In his words we see this human flaw of how obedience deceives us. He is saying he is sinless to Jesus and to everyone listening to their conversation.  He declares himself an obedient follower of the law, observing “all of these” since his youth. Yet, he is uncertain.  He senses obedience was not enough but wants Jesus to tell him it was. He doubts because he is in charge of his ‘righteousness.”  He has faith in what he has learned from others about pleasing God.  That is not faith in Jesus or is it God’s desire for any of us. That is faith dependent on us.  That doubt is at the heart our quest to feel affirmed by God.  

All the affirmation we need is hanging on the cross behind our altar. All we need is to listen to the words spoken during the consecration – “this is my blood given up for the forgiveness of sin.”  That is what we are to believe and never allow our self-condemnation to divert our attention away from believing in Jesus’s forgiveness. If we doubt forgiveness, then we are in the same boat as this young man. We are literally walking away from Jesus. That leaves us striving harder to win back God’s mercy.

 The problem is we do not know anything else beyond what we have been doing and ignoring what Jesus tells us is required.  Our problem is we do not hear it clearly enough because we do not have “ears to hear.”  Jesus says sell all you have and follow me.  We are too invested in what we believe God desires to understand the need to let go of what we have.  We need to divest ourselves of what we are doing to win God’s favor and begin the process of allowing the Spirit to change our hearts. 

We can let go by praying for the Spirit to give us wisdom. Give us ears to hear the voice of God speaking directly to you.  To begin spending time in prayer and in reading the scriptures. God’s desires to reveal to us all we need to know to begin a journey of discipleship.  To listen by praying to the Holy Spirit to open our minds and hearts to recognize the voice of God as we pray with the scriptures.  This surrender is not as hard as it seems. It only takes four seconds to say here I am Lord, use me, mold me, and transform me.

One small step but a giant leap forward in shedding all doubt about who we are and how our destiny is to walk as a child of the light.  Here we are with that childlike faith again.  Belief without doubt.  Belief without trying to please.  Belief by knowing we can jump into the lap of God and cry because we have been wounded.  Belief in knowing we do not have to worry about our future because we know God is our Father and He will always be there. 

Are you willing to sell out and follow Jesus?