Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mark 10:17-30
De-cluttering is a valuable virtue

The rich man in today’s gospel is essentially a good man. He desires to understand what he must do to inherit eternal life. This wealthy man observed all the commandments since he was young. However, he runs up to Jesus and throws himself at his feet, expressing a deep inner restlessness and dissatisfaction that afflicts him. He acts as though he is under the influence of the demon of amassing wealth and riches.

We need to be cautious of various demons, including envy, arrogance, desire for power, and the inclination toward moral corruption. However, the most perilous demon is the one that drives you to accumulate your riches. The wealthy individual departed feeling sorrowful because he was unwilling to relinquish everything to the less fortunate.

Jesus says that if you want your life to be in tune with the life of the Eternal, you must observe your duty towards man. You can only show your love for God by loving others. Mark emphasises the gazes of Jesus, referencing them 27 times in his Gospel – with different meanings, from the basic ‘to see’ to ‘to observe, fix one’s gaze,’ and in this instance, ‘to look at interiority.’

As disciples of Jesus, we must be willing to let go of people and things. Despite our concern and care for our biological family, they don’t hold any power to control the choices we make in believing in Christ and following his teachings.

It is significant that the wife is not included among the persons and things to be renounced for the sake of the Kingdom! This is beautiful because Jesus did not come to break up families, and married people should not enter the kingdom of God alone but with their husband or wife because unconditional and definitive love unites them; together, they are called to cleave to Christ.

You don’t offer to God anything until you offer everything!

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