Monday March 4, 2019
Introduction
Ben Sirach states that all, even the just, are affected by sin and therefore he sounds a call for penance.
The young man of the gospel is proud, perhaps a bit pharisaically, to have observed the commandments since his childhood. But Jesus asks more: for the kingdom of God one must be willing to follow Jesus absolutely and give up everything else for it. Jesus’ offer is too demanding for him to be accepted. The young man was not willing to pay the price. Are we always willing to pay it fully?
Opening Prayer
God our Father,
your Son Jesus looks at us with love
and he asks us to follow him
generously and radically.
But you know how hard it is for us
not to be attached more
to things and people than to you.
Sustain us in our struggles
to be fully free for you and people,
for what is impossible for us
you can do in us through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Reading 1: Sir 17:20-24
To the penitent God provides a way back,
he encourages those who are losing hope
and has chosen for them the lot of truth.
Return to him and give up sin,
pray to the LORD and make your offenses few.
Turn again to the Most High and away from your sin,
hate intensely what he loathes,
and know the justice and judgments of God,
Stand firm in the way set before you,
in prayer to the Most High God.
Who in the nether world can glorify the Most High
in place of the living who offer their praise?
Dwell no longer in the error of the ungodly,
but offer your praise before death.
No more can the dead give praise
than those who have never lived;
You who are alive and well
shall praise and glorify God in his mercies.
How great the mercy of the LORD,
his forgiveness of those who return to him!
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7
R. (11a) Let the just exult and rejoice in the Lord.
Blessed is he whose fault is taken away,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed the man to whom the LORD imputes not guilt,
in whose spirit there is no guile.
R. Let the just exult and rejoice in the Lord.
Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
my guilt I covered not.
I said, "I confess my faults to the LORD,"
and you took away the guilt of my sin.
R. Let the just exult and rejoice in the Lord.
For this shall every faithful man pray to you
in time of stress.
Though deep waters overflow,
they shall not reach him.
R. Let the just exult and rejoice in the Lord.
You are my shelter; from distress you will preserve me;
with glad cries of freedom you will ring me round.
R. Let the just exult and rejoice in the Lord.
Alleluia: 2 Cor 8:9
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus Christ became poor although he was rich,
so that by his poverty you might become rich.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: Mk 10:17-27
As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up,
knelt down before him, and asked him,
"Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good?
No one is good but God alone.
You know the 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 your father and your mother."
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.
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.
Intercessions:
– For those in the Church who proclaim to us the wisdom of the Word of God, that they themselves may first live it and share their experience with us, we pray:
– For parents and educators, that they may challenge the young to live for things that matter; and for the young, that idealism and generosity may keep guiding their lives, we pray:
– For all of us, that we may be deeply aware that by the grace of God we have the strength to answer the invitation of the Lord, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
God our Father,
in these humble signs of bread and wine
we will soon recognize the presence
of your Son Jesus Christ in our midst.
May he give us eyes and hearts of faith
to recognize his real presence also
in all who are poor
and do not count in this world.
Make us small and poor enough
to know that we owe to the poor
what we owe to Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
God our Father,
in this eucharist we have encountered
your Son Jesus Christ.
Let him give us the poverty of heart
to follow him wherever he calls us.
We may have few material things
to sell and give to the poor.
Make us aware of all the riches
of mind and heart, of patience and love
that we can share
and help us to do so wholeheartedly and without regret,
in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Blessing
Usually an encounter with Jesus changes a person. But one can also refuse, like the rich man of the Gospel. May we have encounters with him that change us. May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Commentary
Our understanding of the afterlife differs considerably from that of Sirach. Death for us is not so definitive that praise can no longer be given to God. The belief in life after death was only clarified with the passage of time. But the principal teaching of today’s passage is in no way obscured. The mercy of God is always available for people who turn to him.
Some people are so weighed down by their mistakes in life that they often wonder if life is worth living. What is often most needed at such a time is the presence of an understanding friend, a friend who can bring assurance that the Lord’s mercy is always limitless to those who seek to return to him
Today’s Gospel represents one of the few instances when the invitation of Jesus was refused. The young man was evidently good and God-fearing. Riches were his major obstacle. His wealth stood between him and the following of Christ. This leads to Jesus’ statement that wealth stands strongly in the way of entering the kingdom of God. But it is an obstacle that God can overcome.
Discouragement and riches emerge strongly in today’s read¬ings. We pray that the discouraged may realize that, as Paul makes clear in Romans 8, no power, not even death, can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
Riches, too, will pass. We ultimately stand before God with the wealth of our lives, our response to God’s love.
Points to Ponder
Our life today as the key to eternity
The overarching forgiveness of God
The proper use of wealth
The primacy of Christ in our life.
