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Mark 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
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 men it is impossible, but not for God.
All things are possible for God.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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If you’ve ever traveled through an airport, then you know the drill of going through security.
When it’s your turn, you must empty your pockets, remove your jacket, belt, and shoes, and place your luggage on a conveyor belt before walking through the metal detector.
That “narrow gate” has no room for your luggage; we ourselves can barely fit!
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Isn’t that an appropriate image for life?
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As Jesus tries teaching the rich young man in today’s Gospel, we cannot take material things with us when we enter through the “narrow gate” of eternal life.
All we can bring are the things that fit inside the heart – namely, the relationships we’ve built, the good works we’ve done, and the faith that sustained us.
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In two days, we’ll celebrate Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent.
May this holy season be a reminder to us to focus on the things of the heart.
Because that’s all we can take with us when go.
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Image credits: (1) Heart Hands, Wikipedia (2) The Rich Young Man, Heinrich Hofmann (3) ABC 13 Houston