October 11
Sometimes we think we are seeing correctly. We think we understand the situations we find ourselves in. The gospel readings for today and the next two Sundays point out that sometimes we do not see or understand clearly. As today’s gospel reminds us, Jesus is on a journey. We today know that it is to his crucifixion and death. Those traveling with him, however, do not know this is how the journey will end.
Along the way a man runs up and kneels before Jesus and asks him what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus’ response is simple: follow the Ten Commandments. The man responds that he has done all this since his youth. Jesus looks at him with love and tells him he is only lacking one thing. He must sell all that he has and give the money to the poor. Then he can follow Jesus. At these words the man becomes sad and walks away “for he had many possessions.”
As the man walks away Jesus turns to his disciples and restates his point in even stronger words. “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 heaven.” The disciples were astonished at this, even though they had basically done what Jesus asked of the man, and wanted to know who could be saved. Jesus’ response moves beyond possessions or lack of them. His point is that nothing can come between the believer and God. Following the commandments is good. Loving your family is good. But nothing is as important as following Jesus totally.
October 18
The Lectionary skips the next three verses in Mark where after walking a little farther Jesus stops and tells the disciples that they are going to Jerusalem where he will be mocked, spit on, killed, and after three days be raised from the dead. How do the disciples respond to this? As is typical in Mark, whenever Jesus describes his death and resurrection the response is always misunderstanding. James and John ask Jesus to give them places of honor in the kingdom of heaven. They don’t understand that the road to that kingdom passes through suffering and death. No one can understand who the messiah is or what the kingdom is without first undergoing suffering and death. These are harsh words. But to Mark’s community in Rome, undergoing persecution and death, they are words of hope. For us they are a reminder not to be controlled by our possessions and relationships. We are not to be rulers who exercise control over others. We must be servants, offering ourselves in service to others. This is the way to follow the Son of Man who gave himself as a ransom for all.
October 25
Jesus has turned the disciple’ world around by telling that keeping the commandments is good but more is required. Possessions are good but they must not get in the way of following Jesus, as they obviously did with the rich man. Loving family and friends is good but not if they get in the way of following Jesus. Jesus seems to be taking away all that the disciples cling to. What does he ask in return? Faith. And what does faith look like? It is like the blind Bartimaeus who, though could not see physically, could see who Jesus really was. Because of his faith in God’s power to heal through Jesus he could see who Jesus really was so Jesus restored his physical sight.
After this miracle Jesus arrives in Jerusalem to enter into his passion, death and resurrection.
November 1 Solemnity of All Saints
According to a number of scholars Matthew wrote his gospel to depict Jesus is the new Moses who gives a new law. Matthew was a Jewish convert to Christianity as were the members of the community he was writing for. The Holy Family fled to Egypt to avoid the persecution by Herod and so like Moses Jesus came out of Egypt to the Promised Land. Today’s gospel is the first of five major speeches Jesus will deliver in Matthew’s Gospel. Like Moses who ascended Mt Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, Jesus ascends a mountain to deliver the commandments of the new covenant - the Beatitudes. It is probably impossible to live all of them on our own. But they do give us something to strive for, with God’s help, until we live them fully in the kingdom. After all, as Jesus tells the disciples in the last verse of this chapter: “You must be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect.”