The disciples are “very amazed” by this saying and reply, “Then who can be saved?” (Mk 10:26). It might be good to point out that unless a saintly homeless person has joined us for Mass, by the standards of ancient Palestine every single person in the average parish pew is likely 'rich.'
Jesus is not condemning a certain class of people, but pointing to a spiritual problem that affects each one of us. Jesus is not condemning the young man, “Jesus looked at the man, and loved him,” but calling him to conversion.
In this short passage, we find many of the greatest themes in our understanding the moral life. The nature of the good, the commandments, and the requirement for conversion in response to Jesus’ call to follow him.
In response to being called, “Good Teacher,” Jesus replies “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone” (Mk 10:18).
Jesus points out that no one except God can answer the question, “what is good?” St. John Paul II commented on this passage, “To ask about the good, in fact, ultimately means to turn towards God, the fullness of goodness” (Veritatis Splendor 9).
Here we have an encounter with the love of God, which calls for a response. In Deuteronomy, the fundamental call of God’s people is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might…” (Deut 6:4).
St. John Paul II also points out however, “if God alone is the Good, no human effort, not even the most rigorous observance of the commandments, succeeds in ‘fulfilling’ the Law.” We must all receive this goodness as a gift of God. God offers us a share in the divine Goodness as a gift of grace (VS 11).
Jesus' question about fulfilling the commandments then, is not an external checklist of minimum behaviors lived out of duty, but a question of how the love of God is being lived in one’s heart. The heart in love desires to be like the beloved.
Since God alone is Good, the fullness of life, and the source of man’s happiness, loving God involves interiorizing the commandments and bringing out their fullest meaning. Jesus will later summarize this call in the twin commands to love God and one’s neighbor and in the perfections of this love found in the beatitudes.
Encountering the love of God, and following Christ (Mk 10:21) are the foundation of Christian morality (VS 19). The moral life, however, is not merely about hearing, obeying and accepting the commandments (VS 19). The moral life is about participating in the life of Jesus and holding fast to his person in relationship with him (VS 19). Along this path of loving encounter with Jesus, he calls us to imitate him and to follow him.
In St. John’s Gospel, Jesus admonishes us: "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you" (John 15:12)
The word “as” in this verse tells us two things. It requires the imitation of Jesus and of his love, and tells us something about the degree of this love.
Jesus calls the rich young man to perfect the love of God in his heart. Following Christ is not an outward imitation but instead becoming conformed to Christ who dwells by faith in the heart of the believer (Eph 3:17). God’s grace in our hearts brings about this perfect love through the active presence of the Holy Spirit in us (VS 21). This is why all things are possible with God.
Yet, if all things are possible, why does the rich young man turn away sorrowfully and not follow Jesus? Although he was actively ‘seeking Jesus,’ he was not yet ready to give himself fully to Jesus out of love. The very nature of love implies our personal freedom.
I don’t know about you, but I certainly have not arrived at the perfection of love. There is much more to learn about detachment from earthly things. The issue is not with the external things themselves, but the attitude of my heart. As Jesus tells us, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt 6:21).
Two masters of the interior life, St. John of the Cross, and St. Teresa of Ávila tell us that we cannot make progress in the spiritual life without disciplining our heart’s desires and affections. While affections, desires and pleasures are good in themselves, many times we experience and even cooperate with self-centered desires, and disordered appetites, attachments and affections.
Practically then, how can we learn to discipline our everyday attachments and desires when they become disordered. I think we can tackle these issues both on a human and psychological level and on a spiritual level. On the human level, for example, if we felt the need, we might join a support group or weight watching program to help sustain our desire to discipline our appetite.
On a spiritual level, four things would help. First, it would be helpful to have a trusted friend, or an accountability partner, or even a spiritual director who can help us to monitor our progress toward our goals.
Secondly, we need to make an effort to change our thinking. We need to keep our eyes on the things that are above and not to allow our thoughts to turn to vanity. Some people have suggested that praying to our guardian angel while we do things such as shopping can be helpful. Monitoring the things we watch and read for entertainment can also help.
Thirdly, St. Teresa suggests that engaging in mental prayer will have the supernatural effect of changing our hearts from within. She has in mind a type of prayer where we meditate on scripture and talk to God in conversation from our hearts.
Finally, performing small penances can lead us into greater discipline of our wills. I know we normally only think of doing this during Lent, but even little acts of fasting from small things can help us to grow in self-control. (For example) We could give up eating ketchup, or the things we put in our coffee for a short time. These acts can even be offered up as small sacrifices with our prayers.
While each of these four things are important, I think St. Teresa would say that prayer is the most effective means for changing our heart and this echoes what we have heard in our Gospel today.
Jesus calls each one of us to encounter him and to experience his love. We then need to make a conscious decision to follow him completely from our hearts. From time to time, we may even need to renew this decision. Remember, “All things are possible with God” (Mk 10:27).
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