This week we hear of the man who inquires of Jesus how to obtain eternal life. He rejects Jesus’ invitation to sell his goods, give to the poor, and follow Jesus. Mark tells us this devastatingly sad line, “At this saying, his countenance fell and he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions” (Mark 10:22). The man’s heart wasn’t centered on Jesus, but on his possessions. Perhaps Jesus intuited this. Now, we don’t know if Jesus intended to actually make him go through with it, like God’s call to test Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac. But sadly, in this case the willingness was not there to entrust everything to Jesus. And this made the man deeply sad. For most of us, the literal dispossessing of our goods is not our call. But as Christians, a consistent renouncing of them is. This week, especially if you’re noticing a persisting sadness, I invite you to hear Jesus calling you to acknowledge that none of your possessions are finally yours. They are God’s and on loan to you. We get so addicted to that stuffy and sad word, “mine.” At Mass, we rehearse this attitude of joyful detachment by giving bread, wine, and money to the Lord, as if to say, “Lord, all I have is yours.” And what we get back is a sadnessdefeating joy beyond all description: knowing that He is ours, and we are His. What possessions are preoccupying you at the moment? Write them down. Intentionally offer them to the Lord at the next Mass you attend. Father John Muir
