Daily Reflection for Monday, February 28, 2022
Peace and Blessings, Friends and Parishioners,
We encourage you to reflect on Monday’s readings at this link:
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/022822.cfm
If you prefer to use your own Bible, the readings are:
First Reading: 1 Peter 1:3-9
Responsorial: Psalm 111:1-2, 5-6, 9 and 10c
Gospel: Mark 10:17-27
Our reflection on Monday’s readings:
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.” Mark 10:21.
A friend of mine is a retired Presbyterian minister. He calls himself “a follower of Jesus” because in some situations, the word “Christian” has taken on a political meaning. His has a relationship with Jesus and he is obeying the command to follow Jesus.
Today’s Gospel tells the story of the rich man asking Jesus, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Great question. Maybe the most important question we can ask.
In response, Jesus rattles off six of the ten commandments from the Old Testament. The man boasts that “all of these I have observed from my youth.”
Jesus doesn’t call him a liar, a braggart, or a hypocrite. Instead, Jesus looks at him and makes the active, conscious decision to love him. To care for his soul and his life. Jesus tells him to give up all the idols in his life and come, follow Jesus. That commandment to follow Jesus trumps all the others.
As a Christian, nothing should be more important to me than to follow Jesus. Doing so however requires that idols such as wealth, popularity, comfort and the status quo, alcohol or drugs or food…whatever it may be that comes between Jesus and me, must be secondary to my love for the Lord and my desire to follow the Jesus of peace and love.
My prayer is that I will follow Jesus, and unlike the man in the Gospel story, I don’t want to sadly walk away letting my possessions, my idols, get in the way. But I can’t do that alone. Jesus tells us, that for us alone, “it is impossible, but not for God. With God all things are possible.”
Am I willing to “sell” what I have and focus my life on following the peace and love of Jesus? How will doing so guide my thoughts, words, and deeds?
Peace and blessings,
Al Mytty