Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him,
“You are lacking in one thing.”
“You are lacking in one thing.”
The wealthy young man of today’s gospel is not the first person to overlook the obvious in his quest for eternal life. He seems to have everything, being wealthy, and yet he is not content. He wants more.
Jesus offers him far more; he shows him infinitely more when he looks at the young man and loves him. But the young man can only see less. He sees less ownership, less security, less ease and comfort. He believes he can serve both God and Mammon; he sees no opposition between them and, we can suppose, believes Jesus’ offer is unreasonable.
The readings from Saint James during the past week and this gospel reveal a deep suspicion of wealth in our Christian tradition. A wealthy person can live by the Spirit of Jesus but it’s very difficult. Many stories of the saints tell how eagerly they renounced their personal wealth and avoided every opportunity to gain it. Only a few pious kings, like Saint Louis, were saintly in their use of the wealth and power they could not renounce. Saint Katherine Drexel used her family's wealth to build Catholic schools for Native American and African American children in the United States. Saint Casimir, whose feast day is tomorrow, was also a man of power, influence and wealth.
Catholics, with our long memory and wide experience, can never be doctrinaire in our consideration of wealth. It is not inherently evil but it is very hard to manage. Money, like water, clings to the hand dipped in it. It takes deliberate and conscientious effort to dry oneself. Saint Francis forbade his friars even to touch it.
Jesus’ last word in this gospel should reassure us, “All things are possible for God.” No one today can renounce every contact with money. (Francis managed it when most of the economy was based on barter.) We remember that all blessings come from God, including the money we work for. A lot of people work harder and with better spirit than I ever will and are not paid half as well. That injustice is as persistent as sin.
In our daily prayers we look at the face of Jesus. We see what the wealthy young man did not see and ask the Lord to guide us in all our affairs.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.