MARK 10:17-31
THERE WAS AN ARTICLE IN THE PAPER THIS
WEEK ABOUT RINGO STARR, THE DRUMMER FOR THE BEATLES. HE IS NOW
SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS OLD. UNLIKE THE OTHER BEATLES, HE IS STILL
MARRIED TO HIS FIRST WIFE AND STILL ALIVE. IN THE COURSE OF THE
INTERVIEW, WHICH LARGELY HAD TO DO WITH A TOUR THAT IS COMING UP, HE
TALKED ABOUT A CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION HE AND HIS WIFE HAD SET UP.
MUCH OF WHAT HE EARNED FROM HIS LIFETIME ROYALTIES AND TOURING AND
INVESTMENTS WENT INTO THE CHARITY, AND THE TWO OF THEM TRIED TO FIND
WORTH-WHILE PROJECTS TO SUPPORT THAT THEY THEMSELVES WERE INTERESTED
IN. AND OF COURSE WE KNOW OF OTHERS LIKE THIS – WARREN BUFFET,
BILL GATES, THE FOUNDER OF MICROSOFT, AND OF COURSE MANY OTHERS WHO
HAVE MADE IT BIG AND HAVE SET UP A WAY TO GIVE SOME OF THEIR
BLESSINGS BACK.
TODAY WE MEET THE RICH YOUNG MAN ONCE
AGAIN. I ALWAYS FEEL A LITTLE GUILTY WHEN I HEAR THE STORY, BECAUSE
I CERTAINLY HAVEN'T GIVEN UP EVERYTHING TO FOLLOW JESUS. BUT I THINK
WHEN WE LOOK A LITTLE DEEPER, THAT ISN'T WHAT HE IS ASKING OF YOU AND
I, NECESSARILY.
THE FIRST HINT IS THAT WHEN THE YOUNG
MAN ASKS WHAT HE CAN DO TO HAVE ETERNAL LIFE, JESUS GIVES HIM AN
ANSWER – KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS. PERHAPS THE YOUNG MAN SHOULD HAVE
STOPPED RIGHT THERE. HE KNEW HE'D DONE THAT, AND MAYBE IT WOULD HAVE
BEEN BETTER TO HAVE KEPT QUIET. DID JESUS EVER ASK ANYONE ELSE TO
GIVE UP EVERYTHING AND FOLLOW HIM? I CAN'T THINK OF ANYONE. HE
NEVER ASKED PETER TO SELL HIS BOAT AND HIS HOME; HE NEVER ASKED
ZACCHEUS THE TAX COLLECTOR TO GIVE UP HIS RICHES TO FOLLOW JESUS.
IT'S TRUE, AS PETER LATER SAYS, THAT PEOPLE THEN AND NOW HAVE GIVE
UP EVERYTHING TO FOLLOW JESUS; BUT THERE HAVE BEEN GREAT SAINTS WHO
REALLY NEVER DID.
SO WHAT IS JESUS REALLY DOING HERE?
THE YOUNG MAN HAS FOLLOWED THE COMMANDMENTS AND WE HAVE NO REASON TO
BELIEVE THAT HE IS NOT A DEVOUT PERSON. BUT JESUS CALLS HIS
ATTENTION TO HIS GIFTS – HIS WEALTH. AND JESUS ESSENTIALLY TELLS
HIM, “TAKE YOUR GIFT AND PUT IT INTO THE SERVICE OF YOUR FELLOW
MAN, AND THEN YOU WILL BE REALLY RICH.” DO YOU KNOW WE ALL HAVE
GIFTS? THE WORD WE CAN USE FOR THESE GOD-GIVEN GIFTS WHICH ARE MEANT
TO BE USED TO SERVE EACH OTHER, TO SERVE THE CHURCH (WHICH OF COURSE
IS “EACH OTHER”) IS “CHARISM”. ONE OF THE RICH YOUNG MAN'S
CHARISMS, AND PROBABLY ONE OF THOSE POSSESSED BY RINGO STARR AND
WARREN BUFFET AND BILL GATES, IS AN ABUNDANCE OF THE GOODS OF THIS
WORLD. SOME PEOPLE GET THESE GIFTS THROUGH INHERITANCE; OTHERS
THROUGH HARD WORK. BUT THERE IS ALWAYS AN ELEMENT OF LUCK; HOW MANY
TALENTED DRUMMERS AT THE AGE OF 75 ARE SO WEALTHY THAT THEY SET UP A
CHARITABLE FOUNDATION? NAME TWO. THE POINT IS, PEOPLE WHO ARE
REALLY WEALTHY ARE ALWAYS LUCKY BECAUSE YOU CAN ALWAYS FIND PEOPLE
JUST AS SMART, JUST AS TALENTED, JUST AS DRIVEN WHO DIDN'T MAKE IT.
AND WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, IT ISN'T LUCK, IT'S GRACE. AND THE
CHARISM OF WEALTH IS GIVEN TO THE PERSON TO USE TO SERVE OTHERS –
THROUGH CHARITY, THROUGH THE CHURCH.
THIS IS THE REAL FAILURE OF THE RICH
MAN – THAT GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY, HE FAILED TO USE HIS CHARISM.
AND WE ALL CAN BE GUILTY OF THAT. EACH OF US HAS AT LEAST ONE GIFT
THAT GOD GIVES US TO BUILD UP THE CHURCH. YOU MAY ALREADY KNOW
YOURS, BUT IF YOU DON'T IT ISN'T HARD TO FIND OUT. AND THE WONDERFUL
THING IS THAT PEOPLE WHO USE THEIR CHARISMS AS GOD INTENDS THEM TO BE
USED ARE GIVEN AN INNER JOY, BECAUSE THEY ARE DOING EXACTLY WHAT THEY
HAVE BEEN CREATED FOR. THAT'S WHAT JESUS MEANS HE PROMISES THAT
THOSE WHO HAVE GIVEN UP EVERYTHING WILL RECEIVE SUCH AN ABUNDANCE –
BECAUSE GOD WILL NOT BE OUTDONE IN GENEROSITY.
OUR PROBLEMS ARE LIKE THOSE OF THE
RICH YOUNG MAN; DID HE REALLY WALK AWAY SADDENED BECAUSE HE WANTED TO
GO BACK HOME AND FONDLE ALL HIS POSSESSIONS? I DON'T THINK SO. I
THINK HE WAS RICH NOT BECAUSE HE WAS SHREWD OR CLEVER OR TALENTED,
BUT BECAUSE HE HAD INHERITED HIS FATHER'S TRADE OR BUSINESS –
PERHAPS HE EMPLOYED PEOPLE; PERHAPS HE KNEW THAT IF HE SOLD ALL HE
HAD AND FOLLOWED JESUS, IT WOULD DEVASTATE HIS COMMUNITY – AFTER
ALL, WE DO SEE THAT HE IS A GOOD PERSON. AND THAT'S WHAT WE DO AS
WELL; WE ALLOW THINGS, EVEN GOOD THINGS, TO STAND IN OUR WAY WHEN WE
ARE CALLED TO FOLLOW JESUS BY USING OUR GIFTS. SOMETIMES WE TELL
OURSELVES THAT WE HAVE OBLIGATIONS TO OUR FAMILIES OR OUR JOBS; BUT
GOD ALWAYS PROVIDES. SOMETIMES WE TELL OURSELVES THAT OUR GIFTS
AREN'T REALLY GOOD ENOUGH; BUT IF THAT'S THE CASE, WHY WERE THEY
GIVEN IN THE FIRST PLACE? SOMETIMES WE SAY “OTHER PEOPLE ARE MORE
QUALIFIED THAN I AM” BUT WE FORGET THAT WE ARE EACH OF US
IRREPLACEABLE IN GOD'S PLAN.
THE CHURCH IN THIS COUNTRY, IN THIS
DIOCESE, IS NOT DOING WELL. PARISHES HAVE BEEN CLOSED; ATTENDANCE IS
DOWN AND KEEPS DROPPING; THE AVERAGE AGE OF OUR PRIESTS IS INCREASING
AND THEIR NUMBERS DECREASING. AND YET EACH OF US HAS BEEN GIVEN
GIFTS TO BUILD UP THE CHURCH. THE ONLY CONCLUSION THAT WE CAN DRAW
IS THAT WE AREN'T USING THEM.
THE RICH YOUNG MAN WENT AWAY SAD. HE
HAD BEEN INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE GREATEST WORK OF ALL, TO BUILD
UP THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, TO BE AN APOSTLE. AND HE CHOSE HIS
POSSESSIONS OVER THIS. EACH OF US HAS BEEN GIVEN THE SAME INVITATION
– TO USE OUR GIFTS, GIVEN FREELY BY GOD, TO BUILD UP THE KINGDOM.
WILL WE ALSO GO AWAY SADDENED, BECAUSE WE ARE FASTENED TIGHTLY TO THE
ORDINARY, THE ROUTINE, AND DON'T WANT ANYTHING TO UPSET THAT?
