Alberic Jacovone OSB
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YEAR B
TWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY - 15.10.06
Wis 7,7-11; Heb 4,12-13; Mk 10,17-30
Let no possessions possess you
Rest
quietly in Jesus’ gaze.
The story of ‘a rich young ruler’ is told in 3 out of 4 Gospels & only
small variations between them. Mark talks of one who is not so young & has
kept the commandments (Mitzvot) since his youth. All 3 suggest he was unduly
possessed by his possessions. Strong in his teaching ability, Mark stresses the
exaggerated keenness of this man to see ‘the Teacher’, to call him ‘good
teacher’ & to keep asking questions about what matters in life. Jesus cuts
short the many words & reminds him (& us) that we must be pro-active in
doing God’s will, besides keeping God’s negative commandments: (Torot),
which he quotes from Exodus 20,7+ & Deut. 5,11+. In previous Sundays Mark
has given us Jesus’ teaching against power-seeking, entanglements of
relationships & the desire to be at the centre of our human
experience. By talking about the danger of undue attachment to possessions, Mark
warns us against the 4 greatest barriers to Christian faith , the 4 major
substitutes for God in our lives: scandal of power, urge to dominate, selfish
arrogance, greed for possessions. Jesus’ teaching shocks & grieves the
rich ruler, but it also astounds the disciples, as indeed each of us today, who
with them object saying: ‘if this is so, who can be saved’?. Today we are
all challenged to reflect on the Church’s teaching on social justice. Our
common sense finds it hard to accept that wealth can be a barrier to happiness:
don’t we consider it a sign of God’s blessing? to what extent it is true
that all possessions are amassed through exploitation? Still, today’s Gospel
has touched the life of all saints, who took literally Jesus’ advice to sell
everything & lived what we call the ‘evangelical counsels’: thus having
nothing & possess everything.
Social
justice: yesterday & today. For over 100 years, the
Church has developed its teaching on the dignity of each & every person.
Every society should be ordered as to always safeguard & enhance that
dignity. We are created in God’s image & are called to share our wealth,
since the goods of the earth are meant for all to enjoy. We must go beyond the
idea of ‘being charitable to the poor’, & indeed must challenge all
‘structures of sin’ that keep people oppressed, invisible &
marginalized. Today we pray for social justice, knowing that Jesus chose ‘the
option for the poor’: his teaching on poverty is firm, harsh & radical.
Today, in his Gospel, Jesus looks steadily at us, lest we -like the rich ruler-,
be seduced by the lure of possessions: easier for a camel to go through the eye
of a needle...! -He says. Mark also urges us to be in touch with people who are
in real need & lack the bare necessities of life: in this context we thank
God for the St Vincent de Paul Society, who works quietly for the poor, holding
dear a conviction that Jesus is present in the poor they serve. Yes, the same
Lord who is present in the Eucharist, in God’s word, in the Church... has
chosen to be also powerfully present in the poor, the despised, the oppressed.
He will say on judgment day: ‘I was hungry, thirsty, naked, a stranger..’.
We must be united in our concern for the ‘needy’, so many of whom are the
result of past ‘structures of sin’, that have degenerated into violence,
oppression, & present day terrorism from past colonialism, Marxism,
capitalism. The New Testament presents a pervasive spirituality on poverty,
fostering a life where we are all ‘needy’ in God’s house & under
God’s loving care. Liberation & Feminist Theology have added new insights
to Jesus’ message on poverty & biblical scholarship in general, promoting
a movement of the poor for the poor; a radical concern for the oppressed
& marginalized.
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