8th Sunday in Ordinary Time – October 10, to0to1 – Mark 10: 17-30 – Fr. Chris Heller
Sometimes I wish I could have been “the fly on the wall” for some big historic events. What I’m saying is I wish I could have been present for certain decisions and actions.eg, I’d loved to have heard when good Pope John XXIII decided to have a Vatican Council; and I would have loved to hear the presentations on how all Christians are united through our baptism into Christ Jesus; and that the entire Jewish people were NOT responsible for the death of Jesus on the cross: all those contributed to broadening the church’s vision that, in some ways, had been frozen for the previous 500 years.
Being a “fly on the wall” is what you and I have the privilege of being in most Sunday gospels: WE ARE THERE! As in today’s Gospel, as Jesus speaks to the rich young man and his disciples. you and I are ALSO being catechized. We ARE, IF we have ears to hear, and if we don’t keep saying, “I can’t believe what Jesus is saying.” Like at the end of Part I of today’s Gospel, when St. Mark says, the young one went away sad, because he had many possessions,” we’d HAVE to hear Part II to get to Jesus’ deeper meaning. For it’s NOT that we simply OWN our possessions; it’s our possessions CAN and in some cases DO own US!
And there are some classic examples: like the man who owned a shiny new sports car. On face value, it’s NOT a sin to own such a really nice car. It’s what owning the car can do to us, like skipping Mass on weekends to wash and wax it; OR consistently coming late to family events because the car needed attention; OR going on a big tirade when he discovers the first scratch on the car, comparing the scratch to a human life being taken. In short, it’s the OBSESSIVE feelings that can accompany such ownership that’s trouble!
And just to keep things balanced, there MUST have been a time when a woman was possessed by her possessions. One might think of Imelda Marcos, the former first lady to the dictator of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos, and her collection of 3,000 pairs of shoes! Those shoes were marks of prestige, power and wealth for Imelda, at home and while travelling. But as the Marcos family moved out of power, tears were shed loudly about the HUNDREDS of boxes of clothing and possessions, including LOTS OF SHOES, that had been damaged or destroyed by termites, storms and neglect.
Well, while it’s easy to point the finger at other people, I can tell you that I struggle with this gospel because I’ve discovered I am a hoarder. I’ve moved 9 times for my ministry assignments, and every time I move I have more and more “stuff” to move! I can imagine, for instance, that when I go to sleep at night, hundreds of books on my shelves have long discussions about what they’re going to do about Chris Heller’s obsession with BOOKS. And I’m SURE I overheard the books in my sitting room describing a revolt that’s going to occur: a revolt because I keep buying books and SQUSIHING them, read or unread, onto shelves with no room!
Now, I know in my HEAD that having all these books doesn’t get or guarantee me salvation; I know from my training that I can’t purchase or obtain salvation all by my addicted self. Salvation is Jesus’ offer to take us homeward to God, but ALSO that we can START to LIVE that kingdom of God freedom here and now, and not wait for after this life to do so.
At one time, I imagined that this Gospel did not apply to me: today, I know better, and that anything that interferes or robs my ability to serve God with a free heart is suspect! And it’s never a bad time to look at our lives with a clear head and heart, to reaffirm once again, with my head and heart in union, that Jesus Christ IS Lord.
