ATTACHMENT TO WORLDY POSSESSIONS IS AN OBSTACLE TO CHRISTIAN PERFECTION

 

Homily for the Twenty-Eight Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

Fr. Ugochukwu Ugwoke (Schoenstatt Fathers)

Scriptural Texts: Wisdom 7:7-11, Hebrews 4:12-13, Mark 10:17-30

 

As Christians, we have the strong desire to follow Jesus and to inherit eternal life, but such desires often come with some seemingly difficult demands. At times, it would require from us some degree of detachment from the world. This is because attachment to worldly possessions constitutes one of the strongest obstacles to both moral and spiritual growth. Being attached to earthly possessions stunts to some level, our spiritual striving for perfection and eternal life. Perfection here does not mean a state of being without sin but the quality of being spiritually mature and complete.

In our gospel reading for this twenty-eight Sunday, we read about the parable of the rich young man who came to Jesus to inquire what he would do to inherit eternal life (Mark 10:17). The evangelist Mark tells us that the man was wealthy and had also an enviable religious life since he kept all the commandments of the Law. However, despite his possessions and deep religious life, there was still an emptiness that he could not fathom, and a void in his life that needs to filled. His wealth could satisfy his human hunger but not his spiritual thirst. So, on meeting Jesus, since he already kept all the commandments, Jesus directed him to go a step higher, to sell all he possessed and to give the money to the poor and he will have treasure in heaven. We are told that the man went away sad (Mark 10:21-22). He declined the invitation of Jesus.

The rich young man loved the Lord and hungered for eternal life but it seems he loved his possessions even more. While he took pride in keeping all the commandments, he had inadvertently broken the first commandment. His wealth had precedence over his love for Jesus and the kingdom of God. He loved the kingdom of wealth more than the kingdom of God. He boasted of loving Jesus and keeping all the commandments of God, but he had other gods in his life, his possessions. He was not ready to trade his wealth for the treasures of heaven. He claimed to possess wealth but in the real sense, it was his wealth that possessed him.

Dear friend, let us bear in mind that following Jesus is not simply about avoiding sins. It is not simply about the evil that we are not doing but about the good that we are not doing. Let us also bear in mind that through his parable, Jesus does not scorn the rich or deny them the hope of salvation or condemn wealth and material possessions. Wealth and riches are good things, gifts from God in their own place to serve those who have none. Wealth affords us comfort and security. However, those should not be compared with the comfort and security that come when we give up everything and follow Jesus. The pursuit of wealth and riches should not take the place of God in our lives or make us lose sight of the kingdom of God. Worldly possessions are secondary to seeking first the kingdom of God, and a right relationship with God and others. As Jesus admonishes us: “Seek first the kingdom of God and every other thing will be given you as well” (Matt. 6:33).

Finally, I would like to leave us with these set of questions to contemplate on. What do you value so much to the extent that it competes or takes precedence over your loyalty and commitment to God? What is that one thing that you find very hard to let go? What is standing in the way of your relationship with God? What are the things that we need to sell in order to follow Jesus and to gain Christian perfection or maturity? Is it power (position), pleasure, possession, addiction, relationship, or habit? For the times we have allowed our worldly possessions to enslave us and our pursuit of material wealth to cut us off from friends, families and from God, we pray for pardon and for grace to be better. Amen.