28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gospel Bullet Points (Mark 10:17-30)

• “What must I do to gain eternal life,” the rich young man asked Jesus. The Lord started with the basics—the commandments! But it seemed that the young man wanted, for more . . . he wanted to search for more. And the Lord said it simply: GO, SELL WHAT YOU HAVE AND GIVE IT TO THE POOR… as if to say: THERE IS SOMETHING MORE THAT YOU LACK—a completely different kind.
• The rich young man could not give up his possessions to follow Jesus. He did not realize that following Jesus would mean giving up everything. Notice the PARADOX—even though the young man decided to retain his possessions, he went away SAD! He must have gained a deeper INSIGHT into life.
• The gospel passage should move us to ask ourselves: What still prevents us from following Jesus? For some, it may be an inordinate attachment to material possessions. For others, those possessions may not be material possessions. We may cling to an abiding sense of guilt or shame, fear, or self-righteousness, prestige, desire for power, and influence. Imprisoned by these possessions, we are not able to pursue higher goals. The advice that Jesus gave to the rich young man is the bottom line of Christian life—GO BEYOND WHAT THE COMMANDMENTS REQUIRE!