Responding to the call of Jesus

One of the most difficult aspects of following Jesus is that we can’t get a breather. We try to respond to the call of the Lord and take the challenge of loving that person we can’t understand, or we take a big risk and turn our back on a habit of sin, and what happens? We feel we deserve a rest on this new plateau of spirituality we’ve struggled to. Then, something like today’s gospel comes on the scene, and the Lord walks in and says, "What you’ve done so far is great. But when you decided to follow me, you chose a life of continually striving for deeper levels of love. I’ll always be here to call you to more. So please, I have something more for you to grow on."

The young man in today’s gospel is much like us as we long to be self-satisfied with what we’ve done. He had something to show for all his striving to come closer to God. It wasn’t easy to keep all these commandments about adultery and not stealing and not defrauding, especially with all the temptations his financial security presented. And "Jesus looked steadily at him and loved him." What a beautiful scene. Jesus really saw this man as special. This man was growing to the potential that he had called him to when he created him. He was growing and was doing just what he wanted him to. Jesus loved him. Jesus needed his man to be with him, not only as a good example to the other disciples, but as a personal friend who could give him support through the difficult suffering ahead. "Sell what you own and then come and follow me." What an invitation! The story had a great beginning, but the ending leaves much to be desired. The young man went away sad because he had great wealth.

With heavy hearts we walk away from the story shaking our head, for the call of Jesus is now to us. Jesus is looking at each of us with that same steady look of love and asking us not to be satisfied with the level of Christianity we’ve reached. There is so much more to come! As with the young man, Jesus is asking us to let go of some of the props that we’ve been relying on in life. Jesus is really asking us to what extent do we trust in him. "But Jesus, I go to church each Sunday. I give some money for the support of the poor. I go to a prayer meeting. I read scriptures now and again. And that habit of sin? I haven’t fallen for a good one week now." Jesus responds, "Do more." He wants us to trust in him more and more. He wants us to let go.

This is the wisdom today’s first reading speaks of. The problem with us is that our brand of wisdom is based on pleasure and pain. If it causes pleasure, it’s good; if it causes pain, it’s bad. Jesus doesn’t have those standards. His call to let go of the securities of the world can be a very painful ordeal. We would much rather move in the direction of the pleasure-seeking world and amass all kinds of physical securities and comforts. Problem with that is the more we insulate ourselves from the pain of growing, the more difficult it is to even grow by letting our defences down. The wisdom of God is not the wisdom of the world.

Would that Jesus would come up to us and hit us on the head with the demands that we grow more. The problem is that we can be so insulated from him with our securities that we can go through our whole lives without realizing his call to grow more and more. The trick of growing in the love of Jesus and hearing his call to greater perfection is that we learn to listen with openness. With this open ear we might hear God calling us to something that is very radical. We might be called to take part in the renewal programs of our parish. We might have to take the leadership of a Gawad Kalinga project, or be involved in the work for the disabled. Then again, we might have to give up too much church involvement to devote more time to loving our family. The call might even be the priesthood, or sisterhood, or brotherhood. We might even be called to the life of a foreign missionary, as Richie Fernando was, to Cambodia.

What is important is that we are open and respond to Jesus’ call and not be satisfied with having done enough. There is a growth into joy and peace and love waiting for us. And that joy is not something that is going to come only after we’ve gone through the travail of this world. There is a here and now happiness and peace that is far beyond the satisfaction offered us in commercials and the struggle to get more money. We have a fullness and joy that can be met right now. The problem is that this happiness is something that comes only in embracing with real trust the death of Jesus. But with faith, we are going to rise to a new life, right here and now, in Jesus who is our strength and love.

28th Sunday in OT-Mk 10, 17-30