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He replied and said to him, “Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. Mk 10:17-22 We might rephrase this last statement this way, "... for there were many things that possessed his heart". And we remember these words of Jesus, "... for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also". “No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (wealth and possessions).” Mtt 6:21,24 Each person has been measured out a portion of time for their life, with the freedom to decide how it will be spent. It is the free will that makes the choice, but it is the heart that evaluates the choices. The heart is the eyes of the soul, surveying what lies before it, assigning values to what is seen. Once the choices have been made and the expenditure of time assigned, all other choices are excluded. Should a new choice arise with competing value, the soul finds itself in conflict, facing a real challenge of choice. Something will have to go. In story of the rich man, it tells us that, "... his face fell, and he went away sad." The question to ask is "why sad"? Clearly, he is not a bad person since he wants to enter eternal life. He knows he must keep the commandments, so does that grantee he has it? The story continues. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” The disciples were amazed at his words. So Jesus again said to them in reply, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.” Mk 10:23-27 The disciples are astonished because people believed that wealth was God's way of showing favour and imparting his blessing. It is not that wealth and possessions are evil in themselves. It is what possessing them can do to the person. Each possession that you have requires your time and attention; to acquire it, to manage it, take care of it, protect it, service it, expand it, and to indulge in it. The greater your possessions, the greater these demands, thus consuming all your precious time. When the Lord comes to invite you into the many experiences of his kingdom and the spiritual life, do you have time for them? Where will it fit? What must go in order to make space, and are you willing to let them go? In the Church, those wishing to enter the Religious Life, must take a vow of poverty. Freed of all processions, they are made ready, in a structured way, for a life of exclusive service to the Lord. But what of the lay person? Are they excluded from a true spiritual life? Not at all. However, the spiritual life is something living and real, requiring of us our time and attention and devotion. It is a real relationship with another person, Jesus. Like all relationships, it will require our time and attention- what the Lord will ask of us, and what we are willing to give. In the graphic for this posts, we see a staircase rising before us, wide and open, with no barriers to anyone, accept that they be willing to undertake the accent. Each step will bring us deeper into the experience of God's love for us, with the joys and consolations that are given. Our part is letting go of what binds us and then to begin. And so:
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