In the Gospel this weekend Jesus seems to be urging us to simplify. Think about some of the things he said in the Gospel when the man asked Him about inheriting eternal life. Jesus recites a number of commandments, “You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor you father and mother.” These are foundational to our Faith. But then he also challenges the man in the Gospel to “Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” Challenging him to let go of the extraneous things in life, help those in need and follow Christ. As we can see by the man’s response (we are told his face fell) this would not have been easy for him to do.
These words of Our Lord are reminding us, yet again, to get back to the basics and simplify our lives. Follow the commandments given to us for our good, don’t be consumed by material things, help our brothers and sisters in need and follow Jesus. It’s a simple formula but a challenging formula for us to live out. Jesus’ statements should make us stop and think – to reevaluate the priorities in our lives and make sure they are in line with what God is telling us. The readings we hear every weekend give us so many opportunities to pause and think. This weekend’s Gospel is definitely one of those opportunities.
